Don't Fall Behind (It'll be Hard to Catch Up)
by KazenoShun
Summary: AU where Nick and Gideon are cousins, Nick and his mom moved to the Tri-Burrows before the start of the movie, and Nick catches Gideon about to claw Judy. Will contain scenes that are added or that differ from what shows up in the movie.
1. Caught Red handed

**A/N:**

In case anyone's curious about how updates will be handled:

I'm going to try to update once a day (this is to make sure I'm actually writing each day) there will likely be a few days that I miss (especially with Finals getting closer) but I'll do my best to be consistent.

There will be three types of chapters:  
1) Extended scenes: when I extend a scene from the movie to fit this AU  
2) Changed scenes: scenes from the movie where dialogue/action changes according to the AU  
3) Extra scenes: scenes that are written specifically for this AU

Each chapter will be one scene long, so the length of the chapter is determined by the length of the scene. As such, extra and changed scenes will likely be longer than 'extended' scenes as they do not simply pick up where the movie left off.

This chapter will be changed scene

* * *

Judy tried not to cry out as Gideon unsheathed his claws. "And I want you to remember-"

"Gideon Garrison Grey! What are you doing?" Judy wasn't entirely sure what had happened, aside from the fact that Gideon was suddenly cowering in front of her rather than pushing her into the ground. She stood carefully, brushing the dirt off her shirt. "I said, what are you doing?" This time Judy could identify the source of the voice. He was another fox, taller than Gideon and probably older, and he did not look happy.

"I-I-I…. well I-" Gideon couldn't seem to find his voice under the hard stare of the other fox so Lacy, one of Judy's friends, spoke up instead.

"He took our tickets, mister," she explained. "Judy was tryin' to get 'em back for us."

"I see," said the fox. "Gideon, what's your side of the story? I'd like to know how you ended up with a kid bunny under your paw." Gideon looked at the ground, his ears flat against his head.

"I wanted the fair tickets," Gideon mumbled. He kicked the dirt, still not looking at the other fox.

"And taking tickets from other children is no way for a respectable fox to behave," the other fox said. "What would Aunt Gemma say?" He pinched the bridge of his muzzle between his fingers, letting out a sigh. "Come on, Mom and Aunt Gemma are ready to head home anyway, although I doubt you'll be getting desert with the way you acted."

"You're not gonna tell them!" Gideon gasped. His ears drooped even further. "Please don't tell them, Nick! I'll do anything."

The other fox, Nick, shook his head. "You lost that chance when I caught you about to sink your claws into that bunny. Now, give me those tickets and go wait for me by the entrance." Gideon scuffed the dirt and dragged his paws, but he eventually handed over the tickets and headed toward the entrance to the fair. "And you," Nick rounded on Travis, the weasel who had been backing Gideon, "You'd better scram or I'll find your parents too and tell them what I just saw. Am I clear?" Apparently he was, because Travis took off running without some much as a glance back. "I'm sorry for that," Nick said. He bent down and held out the tickets, "I believe these belong to you kids?"

"Thanks, mister!" Lacy cried. She snatched the tickets out of his paw.

Nick fixed his attention on Judy. "You okay, hun?" he asked. "I can find your parents if you'd like."

"I'm fine," Judy said. It wasn't quite true, her nose was still twitching and her heart was beating even faster than usual, but she wasn't physically hurt so she'd be okay in the long run. "Thank you for your help." She wished she could have done more, maybe even been the one to get the tickets back.

"I saw you kick him while I was walking up," Nick said. "You keep training like that and soon you'll be able to down a rhino."

"You're sure," Judy said, suddenly bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"I'm sure," Nick said with a chuckle. "But be careful, Officer Carrots. I'm pretty sure you have to make it through high school at least in order to get your badge."

"Got it," Judy said. Nick nodded to her, turned, and left, following the same path Gideon had taken just moments before. Judy carefully raised a hand to her cheek, the one which would have been bloody right now if not for Nick. Up until today, Gideon had been the only fox she'd known but maybe, just maybe, not all foxes were as bad as her parents would have her think."


	2. Blueberry Ice Cream & Carrot Cake Shakes

**A/N:** Extra scene

* * *

The bell rang as Judy entered 'Crystals and Cream'. She hoped the line for the ice cream counter wouldn't be long, after all, she had promised to meet her mother and siblings out in the square in five minutes.

"I don't care if you have the money," Mr. Curlz yelled as she rounded the corner of the cake display, "I said I won't serve a low-life like you." That fox from the fair – his name was Nick, wasn't it – was standing in front of the counter. Judy could clearly see the money in his hand, but Mr. Curlz was having none of it.

"Mr. Curlz," Judy said, walking forward cautiously.

"Hello, Judy," Mr. Curlz said. "You're here for the usual shake, aren't you? I'll get it for you as soon as this _fox_ gets out of my store." Nick's shoulders slumped and his tail dropped to the ground. He didn't look nearly as confident as he had when he'd told Gideon off for picking on her.

"Isn't he here for ice cream, too?" Judy said.

"I don't serve foxes." Mr. Curlz spat out the word as if it tasted dirty in his mouth. "They're all scummy lying thieves with too much time on their paws. They never do anything to help others."

"That's not true," Judy almost bit the words back, but Nick's ears had been migrating back with each word and it really didn't seem fair to him after he got the tickets back. "He got Lacy's tickets back for her when a bully stole them at the fair last week." She hoped it would work.

"Is that so?" Mr. Curlz didn't look convinced. "Lacy, cream counter. " Judy plugged her ears against the yell; Nick wasn't so lucky and ended up wincing as he clutched his ears. Mr. Curlz had quite the voice when he decided to use it. It only took a moment before the black lamb was bouncing out of the back room to greet her father.

"What's up, Pa?" she asked.

"Judy says this fox helped you at the fair last week," Mr. Curlz says.

"Yeah, that's him," Lacy said. "You shoulda seen the look on ol' Gideon Grey's face when Mister here started shouting at him. He got my tickets back and I don't think I've ever seen Travis run so fast before." Mr. Curlz didn't say anything, simply looked back and forth between Nick and the two girls.

"Fine," he said. "What kind of ice cream were you after, _fox_?"

Nick shook himself before quietly saying, "Blueberry please, sir. Just one pint." Mr. Curlz grunted and went to get a pint container. "Thank you." Judy turned to look at Nick, but he was still staring at the glass front of the ice cream case.

"Sure," Judy said. She wanted to say something else, strike up a conversation even, but she couldn't think of anything.

"You always come here for shakes?" The question surprised her. "He was talking as if he already knew what you're going to order."

"Carrot and cake batter," she said.

"Figures." He still hadn't looked at her, but at least his tail was off the ground now and his ears weren't flat against his head. Mr. Curlz came back and started dishing up the ice cream, not bothering the pack it into the container. "Sir," Nick interrupted him.

"What?" Mr. Curlz snarled.

"Would it be possible to add on a carrot and cake batter shake?" Nick asked. Mr. Curlz looked at him for a moment, before nodding and returning to the pint. If she'd been paying attention then Judy might have noticed that Mr. Curlz was pushing the ice cream into the container a little harder now. But her attention was focused on Nick as she tried to figure out what a fox would want with a carrot flavored shake. She stayed quiet while Mr. Curlz finished packing the pint and made the shake. Nick paid and Mr. Curlz pushed the ice cream and shake over to him. "For you, kid," Nick said, holding out the shake.

"What?" Judy asked. She looked suspiciously at the cup.

"It's a thank you," Nick said, "Just take it."

"But-"

"Go ahead and take it, Judy," Mr. Curlz said from behind the counter. Judy took the cup.

"Thank you," she said.

"I'm pretty sure that's my line," was Nick's reply. He held the door open for her as they left the shop.

"You know," Judy said, stopping on the front step. Nick turned toward her. "Gideon was right about one thing." Nick's eyebrows went up, but he didn't say anything. "He was right when he said that I don't know when to give up." Nick smiled at that.

"Have a good day, Carrots," he said before walking off. Judy watched him go until he rounded a corner, and then headed to square to meet her mother.


	3. Farewell

**A/N:** Short change/extension scene, sorry for the length but there wasn't much else I could do for just one scene.

 **A/N 2:** Please note that this chapter is different from the version cross-posted on AO3. I've added a bit to make the scene flow better.

* * *

"We're happy for you Judy," Mrs. Hopps said, "But also terrified."

"It's really a kind of happy-terrified combination," Mr. Hopps added.

"Guys, I'll be fine," Judy protested. She hoped the train would arrive soon. She wanted to get to the city to get settled into her new apartment before her first day on the force. Maybe she'd even have time to search for Nick. He had left for Zootopia six years earlier, and unfortunately no one had been able to get his address since, which meant that she was in charge of making sure he got all the letters that had been piling up. She wondered if people would find it strange that a bunny intended to seek out a fox, but it really wasn't that much odder than the fact that Nick had been her parents' go-to babysitter since she was ten.

"Thank goodness we're not too late." Judy looked up to see Mrs. Wilde and Mrs. Grey entering the train platform. She hurried over and stretched as tall as she could to hug them.

"I didn't know you two were coming!" she said.

"We couldn't let you leave without saying goodbye," Mrs. Wilde said.

"I'm glad you came," Judy said, hurrying over to exchange hugs. "If I see Nick I'll tell him that he's in trouble for not sending you an address."

Mrs. Wilde laughed and said, "You do that, hun. Oh, by the way." She pulled a large manila folder out of her purse. "I've been saving up all his letters at home. This isn't all of them, but it's the few I thought were the most important. Do you think you could give it to him if you find him?"

"Of course I can," Judy said. She took the folder carefully and bent to tuck it into her suitcase.

"I'm just glad we didn't miss you," Mrs. Grey said. "We almost did since _somebunny_ decided to hide your going-away present and couldn't remember where he'd put it."

Judy looked up from her suitcase, one ear cocked to the side. "Who?" she asked.

"Foxes! There're foxes! Run!"

Judy felt her mouth drop open as an older, somewhat crazy looking bunny ran out on to the platform.

"Terry!" Uncle Jack was right behind him, looking very distinct with his 'tiger' stripes. "What have I told you about running off like that?"

"Uncle Terrance, Uncle Jack," the little bunnies around her cried.

"Oh, thank goodness," Mrs. Hopps said. "I was afraid you'd miss her completely."

"Why are there foxes?" Uncle Terry asked, starring off at some point beyond Mrs. Hopps' shoulder.

"These lovely ladies just gave us a ride, Terry," Uncle Jack said, placing a calming hand on his brother's shoulder. "You need to say 'thank you'."

"Humph," Uncle Terry grumbled. "Thank you. Now go away."

Uncle Jack sighed. "Please don't mind him," he said to Mrs. Wilde and Mrs. Grey. "He's never been fond of foxes."

"Where's Janith," Uncle Terry asked, looking around. "I mean Judice."

"Her name is Judith, Terry," Uncle Jack said, gently turning him to face Judy, "And she's right here."

"Thanks for coming, Uncle Terrance," Judy said.

"Humph, couldn't let you go off to the city without this," Uncle Terry said. He pulled a small canister out of his pocket and held it out to Judy.

"But that's fox repellent," Judy said.

"Exactly," Uncle Terry said, giving the canister a shake. "Take it; you never know what you'll run into in the city. Wouldn't want some sly tod to steal anything."

"I can't take this," Judy said. She glanced at Mrs. Wilde.

"You'll have to," Uncle Terry said. He bent down and slipped the canister into the outer pouch of her suitcase before she could stop him. "It'll work on other predators too," he said. "Ferrets, weasels, wolves."

"Your uncle's right, Judy," Mrs. Wilde said.

"I'm not sure I understand," Judy said.

Mrs. Wilde looked her in the eye and said in a tone Judy had only ever heard during an emergency, "You never know what or who you may run into in Zootopia. And while I'm sure most animals there are perfectly decent, there's bound to be at least one or two that you can't trust. I don't want to end up with two dozen Hopps children at my house while your parents rush to the city because some punk mugged you when you didn't have your gear on. That repellent won't work quite as well on, say, a polar bear, but it should work on anything near to or smaller than a fox."

Judy stayed quiet for a moment before taking the small can. "I can see your point. Thank you, Mrs. Wilde. I promise to be careful."

"Good," Mrs. Wilde said with a smile. Now you may want to hurry, I think your train just pulled in." She was right, the train had just arrived and a small variety of animals had disembarked. Judy snatched up her suitcase and hurried through the middle door. This was it; she was really leaving for the city. She felt as if she had forgotten something. She set her suitcase on the step and rushed back to her parents, catching them in a surprise hug.

"I love you guys," she said.

"We love you too," Mrs. Hopps said. "Now hurry." Judy turned and ran through the doors just before they closed. She stayed there as the train began to pull out of the station, waving at her siblings, cousins, and a few nieces and nephews through the window. Checking the fox repellent into a side pouch on her suitcase, she carefully hefted it and headed for the viewing car to wait out the ride.


	4. Letters

**A/N:** Added scene. Actually, it's a selection from the letters mentioned in the previous chapter. The letters Judy was going to give to Nick. Please leave a review to tell me what you liked/didn't like

* * *

 _Nick,_

 _First off, happy birthday. Second, you're in trouble for not sending us your new address like you promised. The others haven't gotten off my tail asking when they'll be able to call or text you. I keep telling them to go bother Linda instead, but that'll only work for so long before the new kits stop being a distraction. If I don't get an address from you by next month you're going to owe me big time._

 _Anyway, how's Zootopia? I'm sure you're having fun with so many other animals around. Have you met any other foxes there?_

 _I should warn you, Zoey came home yesterday and told us she has a new school assignment to write a letter to a friend or relative, which means you should expect about 10-15 letters in the next few weeks. Don't worry, I promise to check for any big spelling or grammar errors before they get sent._

 _Hope to hear from you soon,_

 _Judy Hopps_

 _Nick,_

 _How are you? I keep telling the others not to worry, but I'm starting to falter a bit myself. Why haven't you sent us your address yet? It's been six months. You mom says you're not answering your phone either. Did something happen. I'm sure we'll get a letter any day now and my worries will be put to rest. Please send it so that I can get over how silly I'm being._

 _Tizzy's boyfriend proposed last week. You remember? That hare with the crooked ear and a white sock on his right paw? He took her to the Emi's Diner and proposed over dessert. That's another reason for you to send that address. And before you saw that no one will want a fox at the wedding (because I can just hear you complaining about it) I promise that we do want you to come. You've been the favorite baby sitter since I was 13, and the little ones have been begging to know when you're coming back to visit._

 _Classes are going well. I'm the only bunny in the criminal justice program, but what else is new? I keep reminding myself of what you said right before you left. I'm sure you remember, but I'm going to write it down anyway._

 _"_ _If your classmates give you any flack for being the only bunny there, just ignore them. You've got bigger fish to fry and they're really not worth your time."_

 _You were right, like you usually are. But I've been taking your advice and now at least the comments have stopped, even if most of them still haven't quite accepted me. Also, the same thing goes for you, dumb fox. I don't know how you're doing in the city, but if anyone gives you any flack for being a fox, ignore them and keep doing your best. I know they'll come around once they realize how kind and friendly you are._

 _Just send us the address already,_

 _Judy Hopps_

 _Nick,_

 _Mrs. Anta just about fainted when I told her you were a fox. She thought I'd chosen another bunny to write to, but she was wrong. She said I'm supposed to start by asking how you are, so how are you? Judy says I should tell you that she's mad that you haven't send us your address yet. And Tizzy says to tell you that you're invited to her wedding and she won't take_ _know_ _no for an answer._

 _I'm in fifth grade now! We made paper_ _mashey_ _mache_ _sculptures in class yesterday. Mine was really cool, but Tilly knocked it over and said it was an_ _askident_ _accident. Did you_ _no_ _know that Judy's in college now? Are you in college too? Is that why you went away? Judy's gone a lot. She's only ever home on the weekends and she always brings a ton of homework back with her. Is college always like that? I'm at the bottom of the page so I guess I stop here._

 _Judy says 'send your address_ _stupid_ _fox'_

 _Zoey Hopps_

 _Nick,_

 _I swear, when I get to Zootopia, I will find you and I will shove these letters down your throat. Four Years! You promised to call when you got to the city and we haven't heard from you in Four Years! Have you forgotten how to count? Or how time works? Or about us in general?_

 _Anyway, I hope we hear from you soon. We really could have used your help last month. Jonah fell off his bike and hit his head pretty hard. He ended up with temporary amnesia and thought you were still in bunny burrow. He kept asking if you were going to visit._

 _Tizzy's first litter is almost three now. They're always asking who 'Mr. Nick' is and why they've never seen you. Tizzy's told them all the stories from when you used to watch us (including that one where Luke got your tail stuck in his toy helicopter). If you ever decide to come and visit they'll be all over you in a flash. You might actually drown under all the baby bunnies._

 _Seriously though, where are you Nick? What happened to the fox that used to tell me I could do anything?_

 _Missing you lots,_

 _Judy Hopps_


	5. A Bunny and A Fox

**A/N:** Extra scene + different point of view! which basically means you're not seeing things as Judy sees them for this chapter.

* * *

The clock on his phone read 10:20. Her train would be in by 10:30 if he'd guessed right. It hadn't taken much effort to figure out when she'd arrive. The new outlets had a field day covering the ceremony with Mayor Lionheart. Paws Weekly was the only one that had actually stayed on topic though with a fairly short story on her journey through the criminal justice program and her time in the academy. The few other articles he'd bothered to read barely covered the facts while simultaneously making quite a few glaring assumptions that simply didn't make sense. One article had been questioning whether or not the police force was going to have to commission a mini cruiser for the newest recruit. He'd stopped reading that one after line four.

The alarm on his phone went off and he nearly dropped it trying to turn off the offending sound. He'd forgotten to turn off his usual alarm, of course. But then again, he'd be back to his normal schedule tomorrow. Wake up by 10:30; be washed, dressed, and fed by 11:00; be at the corner by 11:10 to get picked up by Finick. He'd have to run if he wanted to be at the corner in time today. Then again, it wasn't every day that one of the Hopps kids came to Zootopia.

 _"_ _The Bunny Burrow express will be arriving in five minutes,"_ came a pre-recorded voice over the loudspeaker. He sighed. That was his cue to get up and head over to the edge of the platform. She wouldn't see him; the sheer number of animals in the station combined with the fact that he hadn't chosen his usual shirt today guaranteed that. She wouldn't hear him either, but then again foxes were always quiet so this was nothing new. The only way she'd be able to spot him would be if she smelled him, and considering that he couldn't distinguish the smells himself, he doubted someone with a less sensitive nose would be able to pick out his scent.

Six years. It had been six years since he'd stood on the Bunny Burrow train station waiting for this same train. He'd been full of hope then, certain he'd be able to find a job in the big city. It felt like a lifetime ago. He hadn't expected to see so many Hopps waiting to see him off, but he'd certainly been touched, even if he had fallen over laughing after Judy presented him with their farewell gift. "A brand new business suit," she'd said. Unfortunately, someone had decided to put Tizzy in charge of finding the shirt, and her littermate, Marcus, in charge of the tie, which meant the two clashed terribly. He still wasn't entirely sure where Tizzy had managed to find the Pawaian-print shirt, but she'd looked sincere so he really couldn't say no. The shirt was a little looser now.

The sound of the train whistle broke his reverie and he had to stay on the alert to spot Judy. Somehow, he hadn't realized it would be so hard to spot a bunny amongst all the other animals. She'd always seemed bigger in his head. He found her riding the escalator up to the main level, clutching her suitcase like there was no tomorrow with her earbuds in and a giant smile plastered across her face.

 _Carrots,_ he nearly yelled. He bit his tongue to keep the word from escaping. He wasn't planning on letting her see him; in fact, he was already trying to figure out how to avoid her once she started making rounds as an officer. He could watch over her from a distance, warn any crooks who focused on her too long, maybe even leave an anonymous tip if he found out anyone was targeting her. But he couldn't meet with her. It was strange how easy it had been to forget back in Bunny Burrow when it was so prevalent here in Zootopia. She was a bunny, he was a fox. No matter how welcoming he was or how big her smile, the simple fact of what they were would always be enough to frighten others. Foxes and bunnies could be friends in Bunny Burrow now, but Zootopia wasn't ready for that yet.

He followed her until she got to her new apartment building, before high-tailing it over to his usual meeting spot with Finick. After all, no matter what his past there was one thing Zootopia had taught him. It was that no one was going to get to Nick Wilde, and if they did, then he couldn't let them see it.


	6. I Can Do More Than You Think

**A/N:** Changed/extended scene

I was originally going to skip straight to the meeting with Nick at the ice cream parlor, but then I thought it might be fun to show how Judy's actions might not change too much, but her motivation had changed pretty drastically.

Also... I'm trying to come up with names for all 275 of Judy's siblings. If you guys have any name suggestions, I'd love to hear them. All the names I've already got are on this Tumblr post: post/142721856731/names

* * *

"Hopps." Chief Bogo still had one case file in his hand, this was her chance, she'd finally be able to prove herself in the field. "Parking duty. Dismissed." The other officers began filing out and Chief Bogo gathered his papers and headed for the door. Judy stood on her chair, trying to process what she'd just heard.

"Sir," she called. "Chief Bogo?" He stopped in the doorway, looking back at her.

"Yes?"

 _I can take a case,_ she wanted to say. _I can do anything the other officers can do._ She opened her mouth to remind him of her accomplishments at the academy, to question his decision on her assignment.

 _Don't do it,_ said the voice in her head. _Remember what I told you?_ Of course she remembered, she wasn't about to forget after all the trouble Nick went to in order to make her listen to him after an aggravating session with her school counselor. _Animals in positions of authority don't like to be questioned, especially if the rule is that you're supposed to listen and do. If you want to convince them to change their judgement, it's better to show them that they made a mistake. In your case that means trying your hardest at whatever job you're given until they realize how much they've underestimated you._ Thus far, he'd been right.

"Who do I check in with?" was what she said instead.

"Clawhauser will get the keys for you and direct you to the garage," Chief Bogo said.

"Thank you, sir," Judy said. She waited until the door was closed before allowing her foot to tap. How could she prove herself as a meter-maid? Maybe Clawhauser would have a suggestion. She pulled the heavy door open and headed off toward the front desk.

"You're back!" Clawhauser exclaimed through a mouthful of donut. "How'd it go?"

Judy took a deep breath and managed to answer without screaming. "I'm on parking duty."

"Oh! I should have known," Clawhauser said. "Chief always puts new officers on parking duty for the first few days. Especially if they're not originally from the city. He says it's the best way for new recruits to learn the streets. I guess that means you need the keys and the parking tickets?" He kicked his chair over to the other side of the desk and started rummaging in a drawer. Judy jumped as high as she could to try and see over the counter, but it only lasted a moment before she was on the ground again. She was on her third hop when Clawhauser looked up and saw her. "Why don't you go ahead and sit on the counter for a minute. I need to refill the ticket printer and you should probably see how it's done."

"Okay," Judy said. She launched herself up onto the counter, proud when she didn't slip despite landing on a small stack of papers. She carefully moved the papers aside and plopped down. "So, Chief always puts the newest officers on parking duty?"

"Yep," Clawhauser said, his voice muffled with his head inside a cabinet. "Aha! Found them." He closed the cabinet and kicked his chair back over in front of Judy, this time with two rolls of blank tickets in his paws. "It's actually become a bit of a competition, actually." Judy tried to listen and keep an eye on how he was loading the printer. "Each officer tries to see if they can beat the previous officer for the highest number of tickets written in a day."

"What's the current record?" Judy asked. This was getting more and more interesting.

"The current standing record is DelGato with 100 tickets written on his first day. The last few recruits haven't been able to top that. Did you see how I refilled the printer?" Clawhauser handed over the ticket printer, extra tickets, and keys.

"I saw," Judy said. "100 tickets, huh? Well then, I guess I'll just have to write 200 tickets," she paused; she could do better than that. "I'll write 200 before noon," she said.

"Good luck with that," Clawhauser said. "Oh, by the way, your vest will be with the buggy. It's in the garage at the end of that hall." He pointed down a second hall opposite from the one she'd taken to the bullpen.

"Right, got it," Judy said, sliding off the counter. "Thanks Clawhauser," she yelled before taking off down the hall.


	7. Conned

**A/N:** Changed scene

* * *

Judy resisted the urge to yell in excitement as she hurried about her job. It was a good thing her printer tracked the number of tickets automatically; otherwise she wasn't sure if the other officers would believe that she was already nearing 300 tickets. She didn't know if the ticket numbers would convince Bogo to assign her to something bigger, but at the very least she now had a chance. She finished another set of tickets and scanned the roadway. Everything seemed in place. The cars were, for the most part, parked neatly along the side of the road. An elephant couple was strolling casually down the street, hand in hand. And Nick Wilde was standing outside the ice cream parlor.

"What!" Judy said out loud, immediately covering her mouth in an attempt to pretend that no sound had escaped. Surely her eyes had been playing tricks on her. She looked again. The fox was just disappearing into the parlor, but she would have known that terrible Pawaian print shirt and clashing tie anywhere. She wasn't much for having private confrontations in public spaces, but that darn fox had been avoiding her for the past six years and she wasn't about to let him get away with it again. She scanned the roads for traffic before darting across the street.

 _Wait a moment_ , she thought, _what if that isn't Nick?_ Ironically enough, she could practically hear Nick asking her that same question. _I'll just peak in the window and see if I can spot him_ , she decided. She scanned the area again and saw that the elephant couple turning the corner. Good. It wasn't as if she was about to anything illegal, she reassured herself. Rather, the fact that she had to climb the wall just to see into the parlor was a bit embarrassing. She grabbed the top of the windowsill and carefully pulled herself up until she was able to get a toehold on the rock molding. Finally able to see through the window, she looked around. The fox was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she'd only imaged him? She shook her head, she was certain she'd seen a fox and was almost convinced it had been Nick. Now she had the interesting dilemma of trying to confirm her suspicions. She could either wait outside the parlor for the fox to come out –an idiotic idea since she was still on the clock and had no idea how long the fox was planning on staying- or go into the parlor and see if she could find the fox –a slightly less idiotic idea. Then again, maybe she didn't need to confirm whether or not she'd seen Nick. That thought lasted about ten seconds before she recalled six years of no communication and decided it was too good a chance to pass up.

The bell on the door rang as she entered the parlor. She couldn't see the front of the line, but she could hear someone talking. "I don't want any of your trouble." The voice likely belonged to the manager, and since Nick was hardly the definition of trouble, the fox likely wasn't Nick.

"I don't want any trouble, sir." Or maybe he was. Judy's ears rarely played tricks on her, and she knew Nick's voice the moment she heard it. She started walking forward. "I simply want to purchase a jumbo pop, for my little boy." That made her stop. Since when did Nick have a kit? _Since never,_ she realized as a tiny, pale fox with enormous ears wearing an elephant costume toddled into view. Judy wasn't exactly an expert on the different species of foxes, but she knew enough to know that there was no way the little fox with Nick was his own kit. "Do you want the red, or the blue, Pal?" Nick asked the kid, his voice sickly sweet. It was the same tone he used whenever he was asking one of her siblings which of the two hated foods they wanted to eat. The tiny kit toddled over to the display case, pointing to the giant red ice pop.

"Listen, fox," the cashier said, "You probably can't read" –now that was a rude assumption- "But the sign says we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone." True, but that right was usually reserved for animals that caused a ruckus rather than paying customers.

"Please sir," Nick said, "It's his birthday."

"I don't care if it's Mayor's birthday and he's paying for free ice cream," the cashier said, "You need to leave."

Judy had seen enough. She wasn't sure what Nick was up to, although from the sound of his voice it couldn't be good, but she wasn't about to stand by and watch discrimination unfold right before her very eyes. "Excuse me," she piped up.

"Hey," the cashier said, trying to wave her away with his trunk, "You have to wait in line like everyone else." Judy glanced at Nick and saw him standing straight as a stick with a false smile plastered across his face.

"I'm sorry for the confusion, but I was just curious," she paused and looked at Nick again. The smile was still pasted to his face, but his eyes were quite clearly saying _what in the world are you doing?_ "Are your customers aware that they're eating snot and mucus with their cookies and cream?" She did her best to project her voice without making it sound like she was yelling. One of the elephants in the corner spit out his mouthful of ice cream all over his date.

"What are you talking about, rabbit?" the cashier said, leaning over the counter.

"Well," Judy fought the urge to smile, "I'm not sure if you know but I do believe scooping ice cream with an ungloved trunk is a class three health-code violation, which is kind of a big deal." To be fair, it really was a big deal and the server behind the counter most definitely did not have a glove on his trunk. "Of course, I could let you off with a warning if you would agree to glove those trunks and, oh, I don't know, finish serving this nice fox and his son a jumbo pop?" With the way Nick seemed to be pretending he'd never seen her before she figured it would be best if she didn't use his name.

The cashier sighed loudly. "Fine," he grumbled, "That'll be 15 dollars."

"Thank you so much, sir," Nick said, grabbing his wallet out of his pocket. He handed over the money and the cashier dropped the jumbo pop into Nick's hands, nearly knocking him over. "Come on, Pal," he said, nodding to the little fox. The kit pulled the hood of his onesie over his head and followed Nick toward the door. Judy took a moment to nod to the cashier and customers before hurrying after them.

"Nicholas Wilde!" she yelled as soon as the door closed behind them. "I hope you have a good explanation for this!"

"Of course I do," Nick said, letting his smile drop.

"And I hope you have an even better explanation for why you haven't contacted us in six years." She put her paws on her hips and began tapping her foot. Nick's ears went back.

"I've been busy," he said.

"I don't believe you," Judy said, "But I currently can't prove otherwise. Also, whose kit is that? He's obviously not yours."

Nick's ears were nearly flat now. "He may not be mine biologically, but I'm still responsible for him," he said. He was practically snarling and Judy suddenly wanted to take a few steps backward. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a birthday to go celebrate. Come on, Fin."

"Six years, Nick!" Judy yelled after him.

"Yep," he said, "You mentioned that one already."

"Urg!" Judy nearly picked up the rock beside her paw to throw it at Nick, only to realize that it really wouldn't send the best first impression if anyone saw her throwing things at others on her first day. Nick and Fin rounded the corner and Judy crossed back to her buggy. She almost wished she had some kind of charge so that she could ensure that Nick would stay put, but for now that wasn't her job. Sighing, she turned the key of the buggy and shifted it back into gear. She was still on the clock, after all.


	8. Never be a Real Cop

**A/N:** Changed Scene

* * *

Judy resisted the urge to tap her paw as she followed the van across Zootopia, it wouldn't be good for the engine, after all. "We have a birthday to go celebrate," she muttered, trying and failing to replicate Nick's voice. Celebrate a birthday, indeed! She should have known the moment she saw the kid's giant ears, should have called Nick out before he even got a chance to try and order. She couldn't believe she'd been so blind. The 'kid', Fin, was a fennec fox. She certainly wasn't an expert on fennec foxes, but she knew enough to realize that the 'kid' had to be an adult. A toddler fennec would have been even smaller than her four-year-old nieces, and those girls were small for their age.

She had to admit that the plan was a clever one, even if buying the supplies straight seemed easier. She had shuddered at the sight of Nick pouring jumbo pop liquid into the paw prints until she realized the fennec had put on a special pair of boots that, from the looks of them, were kept clean. At least Nick's potential customers wouldn't be eating dirt from the socks of a dirty onesie. She very nearly called Nick out then and there, but decided it would be better to uncover the entire deal before she tried to bust him. She'd never thought her first bust would be her childhood best friend. She waited until the two foxes had returned to a quieter part of the city –she wasn't about to cause a scene- before confronting them.

"Nicholas P. Wilde," she said, marching across the road to stick her pen under his nose. She could have threatened him with arrest or at least with ratting him out to her fellow officers, but that didn't seem like the best way to make him squirm. "What would your mother say if she saw you now?"

Nick sighed, ears back and tail bristling. "'Tuck in your shirt', or something like that," he grumbled. He handed Fin the wad of bills in his hand and the fennec headed for the van. "So you're not sticking around for the show?" Nick called after him.

The fennec was already in the van, spitting out the pacifier as if it were poisoned. "I've seen enough for one day," he said. Judy jumped a bit at hearing such a deep voice from such a small mammal. "I'll get the funny bits from you tomorrow."

"Got it," Nick said. Judy was sure she wasn't the only one who could hear the fake enthusiasm in his voice. "I'll see you tomorrow, bud." His only answer was the van backfiring violently.

"You're sure about that?" Judy said. "I could take you in pretty easy right now." Nick apparently didn't find her threat all that intimidating, instead turning and walking away as if she hadn't spoken. "Nick, stop right there, or I _will_ tell Jonathan what happened to his mini-figures back in eighth grade."

"Oh dear," Nick said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "That's real terrifying, Carrots."

"You're not allowed to call me Carrots anymore," Judy said.

"Good luck with that one, Carrots." He ignored her glare and continued walking. "Now, what was it you were going to put me away for?"

Judy had to run to keep up with him, hopping until she was in front of him and then turning around in an attempt to slow him down. "Oh, I don't know," she said, "Selling food without a license, transporting goods across districts without a permit, and false advertisement."

"Again, good luck with that one, Carrots," Nick said. He pulled a laminated sheet of paper from his pocket and held it out for her to read. "License and permit." They were at a street corner now, waiting for the light to turn along with a porcupine. "And I didn't falsely advertise anything, Carrots."

"You told that mouse the sticks were redwood," Judy countered, catching him in her trap.

"Yes I did," Nick said. "Red wood, wood that is red." And he broke out the trap with no problem at all, placing the used pawpsicle stick in her paw. "You're not going to be able to pin me, Carrots."

"I said you're not allowed to call me Carrots," Judy practically shouted.

"Right," Nick said, "I came up with the nickname, and I get to choose whether or not I use it." He ducked through a broken fence into a small patch of grass littered with trash.

"Nick!" Judy chased after him in time to see him disappearing through another hole on the opposite side. She darted through after him and was nearly crushed under the foot of a passing elephant. Nick was still walking. "Nicky!" Nick stopped in his tracks, ears going back against his head and tail twitching at the tip. He had never liked that nickname. "What happened to you?" Judy said as she got closer. "Why didn't you ever contact us? The Nick I knew didn't keep secrets and he certainly didn't engage in shady business.

"He woke up to the world around him," Nick said, not looking at her, "Just like you will."

"I don't believe you," Judy said, crossing her arms.

"Fine," Nick said, "Listen, does this sound familiar? Some kid fresh from college decides 'hey, I'm going to go to Zootopia where everyone gets along and the world is a perfect place where predator and prey live in perfect harmony. Nothing is going to stand in my way." He turned to her now, placing his paws on his knees so that his face was level with hers. "Well here's the thing, it's not true."

"But you always told me –"

Nick doesn't even give her a chance to finish talking before he's taking off again. Judy speeds after him and comes to a stop in front of him, forcing him to either halt or else step on her. He sighed. "Zootopia is not Bunny Burrows, Carrots." His mask was on and suddenly Judy wished she could tell what he was thinking. "Nobody here will ever trust a fox. They're not going to acknowledge a bunny cop either so you should stop wasting your time and just go home to be a carrot farmer."

That one stung. She could brush it off coming from others, she hadn't known them for long, after all, so she couldn't always expect them to sympathize with her. But her heart felt crushed hearing it from Nick. The narrative of his story _was_ familiar. It was a combination of the various dreams they'd told each other back when they were still friends in Bunny Burrow. "Nobody can tell me what I can or cannot be," she said, sticking her pawpsicle stick into his chest.

"Right." Nick's smile wasn't reaching his eyes. "And that's not wet cement." Judy fought the urge to cry as she felt herself sinking into the newly poured cement. "You'll never be a real cop," he said, walking away. "You make a cute meter-maid, thought, maybe a supervisor someday, hang in there." With that, he was gone. Judy hung her head. He was right; nobody was ever going to take her seriously. She looked off in the direction he had vanished in, wishing she could run after him and fix everything. But this time she wasn't sure it she could fix it.


	9. Late Night

**A/N:** Added scene

* * *

 _"_ _I told you to shut that music off."_

 _"_ _And I told you to stop taking my soda."_

 _"_ _I paid for them."_

 _"_ _With_ _ **our**_ _money/"_

Judy sighed and turned over. Her clock said it was nearing midnight, but her neighbors were at it again, yelling about something simple to could easily be fixed by talking. It shouldn't have bothered her. She'd grown up with 275 siblings, after all, sharing a room with the other girls from her littler and littler before them. She was used to noise. But it wasn't the neighbors keeping her up.

 _"_ _Good job, Carrots. Your teacher's going to be impressed."_

She wasn't sure why that particular phrase kept popping into her head. Maybe it was because it had been the first time she'd told Nick her insecurities about becoming a cop.

 _"_ _They're not going to acknowledge a bunny cop either so you should stop wasting your time and just go home to be a carrot farmer."_

It still stung, no matter what she told herself about how Nick must have changed. She turned over again, hugging her pillow and staring at her headboard.

 _Don't give up. You've got this. You can do it. I'm so proud of you, Carrots…. You'll never be a real cop._

Her pillow muffled the sobs, although it couldn't stop the tears. She wished she knew what had caused Nick to change, but at the same time she was afraid to find out. Of all the sitters her parents had hired during her childhood –a neutral presence in the house, they'd said-, Nick had been her favorite. Not because he was a fox, but because he always stood up for her whenever her siblings tried to use their newfound power to convince her to give up on her dreams.

 _"_ _Let her dream, it'll give her a goal to focus on."_

 _"_ _What if she actually finds a way to become a cop?"_

 _"_ _Then I'll be the first non-family-member to tell her congratulations."_

He hadn't come. She'd looked for him at the ceremony, hoping against hope that he would have heard and come. She'd never seen him. She'd waited a bit longer than she needed to before taking the train back to Bunny Burrow for her things, wishing that he'd magically show up. No such thing happened. For all that he'd been Judy's favorite baby sitter since she was ten, and something like a brother to her since she was 13, he hadn't shown up.

The manila folder on her desk loomed at her, altogether to blank with nothing to address it aside from the large 'To Nick' scrawled on the side. It was Mrs. Wilde's handwriting. Judy remembered the day before she left for Zootopia, when Mrs. Wilde had asked her to stop by for a farewell chat incase Mrs. Wilde wasn't able to see her off.

 _"_ _I know it's a lot to ask of you, Judy,"_ she'd said, _"_ _But please, find my boy. It's not like Nick to keep quiet like this, and I'd feel better knowing he's safe"_

 _"_ _I won't let you down,"_ Judy had promised. She'd found him, alright, and had let him trick her into assisting his scheme.

 _"_ _Zootopia is not Bunny Burrows, Carrots"_ Except that he wasn't allowed to call her carrots, not anymore. Her nose twitched and more tears spilled down her cheeks. _"_ _You really like carrots, don't you kid?"_ he'd asked after being seated beside to her at the next town fair.

 _"_ _Of course I do,"_ she'd replied, _"_ _Carrots is practically my middle name."_

 _"_ _Well then, how about I call you Carrots from now on."_ That had settled it. She'd been 'carrots' from that point on. _"_ _You'll never be a real cop."_ She gasped out one more sob and suddenly found that she had no more tears left to cry. The next day would be a new day. She'd have another chance to prove herself to Bogo, and with a little bit of luck she wouldn't see Nick again for a while, at least not until she'd been accepted by the other officers. It would be fun to rub it in Nick's face just how wrong he'd been. Somehow, the idea felt hollow. Judy finally fell into a troubled sleep, hugging her pillow and dreaming of foxes who were always contradicting themselves.


	10. Mrs Otterton

**A/N:** Changed scene

* * *

Judy listened impatiently while Chief Bogo listed off the reasons why her capture of Weaselton had apparently been the wrong thing to do. _Pay attention, Carrots,_ Nick would have told her. Except that he wasn't allowed to call her Carrots anymore. Then again, what did Nick know? His advice might have seemed great back in Bunny Borough, but he'd become a different person since arriving in Zootopia, so how could she still trust him?

"Although, to be fair," Chief Bogo said, "You did manage to stop a master thief from stealing two dozen moldy onions."

Judy frowned. "I hate to disagree with you, sir," she said, "But those aren't moldy onions. They're actually a specific breed of –"

"Shut your tiny mouth, now!" Bogo interrupted. He grabbed the bag again and set it off to the side. "I don't care what kind of plant they are or why Weaselton stole them. You deserted your assigned post and chased after a thief rather than calling for backup. What if he had led you into a part of the city you weren't familiar with? What if he had pulled a gun on you? The rules and procedures are in place for a reason, Hopps."

"Sir, I got the bad guy. That's my job," Judy said. Somewhere in the back of her mind Nick was yelling at her to stop talking and just listen. But she wasn't taking his advice anymore. It certainly didn't seem to have gotten him anywhere, so why should she listen to him?

"Your job is putting tickets on parked cars," Chief Bogo retorted.

"Sir, please," Judy said. "I don't want to be a meter-maid. I want to be a real cop." _Please, let me prove myself. Just give me a chance._

"It doesn't matter how much you want something, Hopps," Chief Bogo said. "It's about what you are capable of doing. Life isn't like a Disneigh film. Animals don't get their wishes magically answered just because they rubbed the right lantern. If you want to do any job in this precinct, you earn it. Is that clear?"

"But sir," Judy tried to protest.

 **"Chief,"** Clawhauser's voice came crackling over the phone, **"Mrs. Otterton is here to see you again."**

"Not now," Bogo said, staring Judy down while he conversed with Clawhauser.

 **"Okay,"** Clawhauser said. **"I just didn't know if you might want to take her this time, she seems –"**

"Not now," Chief Bogo practically yelled into the speaker. He turned back to Judy. "I will give you one more chance at being meter-maid. But if you question my orders again -" The door behind Judy opened with a sudden click and a small otter in a purple sweater was walking into the room.

"Chief Bogo, please," the otter said, "Just a moment of your time."

Clawhauser reached the door just behind her, leaning over and panting. "I'm sorry, sir. I tried to stop her. She's too slippery. I need to go sit down." With that he was headed back to his desk.

"My husband has been missing for ten days," the otter said.

"I understand, Mrs. Otterton," Chief Bogo said, "And our detectives are very busy."

"His name is Emmet Otterton," Mrs. Otterton continued, she held out a photograph. "We have two beautiful children. He would never just leave."

"We're doing everything we can, ma'am," Chief Bogo said.

"Please," Mrs. Otterton said. "There's gotta be someone who can find my Emmet." She looked so desperate. Judy could see traces of tears in the fur on her cheeks and below her eyes. Chief Bogo seemed to be having a hard time coming up with an answer.

"I can find him," Judy said, sliding down off the chair. _Stop!_ screamed the Nick in her head. Chief Bogo looked at her as if she'd grown a second head.

"Thank you," Mrs. Otterton cried. She ran over to Judy and wrapped the rabbit in a hug. "Oh, bless you, bless you little bunny." She held out the photograph. "Take this," she said. "Find my Emmet. Bring him home."

 _Please, find my boy._

"I won't let you down," Judy said.

"Well then. " The smiled on Chief Bogo's face was perhaps the worst fake Judy had ever seen. "That's all settled, if you would please wait outside, Mrs. Otterton?"

"Of course," Mrs. Otterton said, walking out into the hallway. Chief Bogo closed the door behind her.

"You're fired," he said.

"What? Why?" Judy asked.

"Insubordination!" Chief Bogo practically yelled. "Now, you are going to go out there and tell Mrs. Otterton that you are a former cop with delusions of grandeur who will not be taking the case." He didn't give Judy any time to argue before opening the door.

"I just heard Officer Hopps is taking the case," Assistant Mayor Bellwether said. She had Mrs. Otterton's paws in her own and a smile stretching from cheek to cheek.

"Assistant Mayor Bellwether," Chief Bogo spluttered.

"The mammal inclusion act is really beginning to pay off," Bellwether said, pulling out her phone. "Mayor Lion heart is going to be so pleased when I tell him." She began typing away.

"Oh, no," Chief Bogo said, "Let's not tell the Mayor just yet."

"And I sent that," Bellwether said, walking past Bogo and into his office. "And that is done." She took Judy's paw. "Thank you so much, Judy. We little guys really got to stick together, am I right?"

Judy smiled. "Like glue," she said.

"Good one," Bellwether said, letting go of her paw. "Remember to call me if you ever need a friend at city hall." She left the office with a final smile and walked off with Mrs. Otterton.

Bogo shut the door behind her. Judy was almost afraid he'd tell her to run after them to say that she was no longer employed at the ZPD. Finally, he spoke. "I will give you 48 hours."

"Yes!"

"That's two days to Mr. Otterton, Hopps. You strike out, you resign."

Judy swallowed nervously. "Deal," she said.

"Wonderful." She could hear the sarcastic smile in that one. "Clawhauser will give you the complete casefile." He opened the door and motioned her out of the room.

Judy hurried down the corridor toward the reception desk. Clawhauser was busy eating lunch, but he happily made room for Judy top open up the case and sit down. Judy was dismayed to open the folder and find nothing more than a single sheet of paper with minimal information and a lone photo.

"Oh em goodness," Clawhauser said. "That's the smallest case file I've ever seen. Leads, none, witnesses, none. And you're not in the system yet, so resources, none."

Judy tried to block him out and focus on the picture. Her concentration shattered when Clawhauser began slurping his soda directly behind her, looking at the file over her shoulder. She sighed and turned to ask him to be quiet, only to realize that the liquid was nearly gone and the bottle would make a fine makeshift microscope.

"Could I please borrow that?" She said. Clawhauser handed her the empty bottle and once she had confirmed it was clean, she looked through the opening at the picture. Sure enough, Mr. Otterton was carrying a pawpsicle and a familiar russet colored tail was disappearing behind a lamp pole. "Hey, Clawhauser," she said. "Would you be able to look up an old friend of mine?"


	11. The Hustle

**A/N:** Changed scene

* * *

It took a good ten hours for her to hunt Nick down. The address on the tax form Clawhauser had managed to find had at least been a real address, even if Nicholas P. Wilde wasn't living there. Nicodemus Wilde – _"pronounced wil-dee,"_ the maned-wolf had told her- had been nothing but pleasant and had even congratulated her on catching Weaselton the day before. He'd apparently seen them running through Sahara square and had been highly impressed with her ability to keep up with the thief. _"I see him run through there on a weekly basis, it seems, although he never steals from the same shop twice. He always loses the larger officers around Little Rodentia, which really isn't a surprise, they're all much too large to go walking around a miniature city,"_ he'd said.

Nick had been avoiding the areas he'd been in the day before as well. Judy was beginning to think he didn't want her to find him. She wished she'd thought to bring that folder with the letters in it, but it had been forgotten on her desk that morning. Then again, if all went well she'd have plenty of opportunities to give it to him later. Finally she spotted him pushing a pink stroller down the street. She set her foot to the gas to catch up with him.

"Nick," she called.

"Well, if it isn't Judy Hopps," Nick said, not slowing down in the least. "Are you going to lecture me again today?"

"No," Judy huffed. "I'm here to ask you a few questions about a case." She was going to handle this professionally, and if that meant pretending that she hadn't known Nick before moving to the city, then that was how she would act.

"Then they should have gotten a real cop to do it," Nick said. That was low, even for the depths Nick had apparently sunken to. She wanted to make him pay for it. Judy groaned and sped ahead of him, successfully pulling into a driveway directly in his path. "Come on, Nick," she said, hopping out of the buggy, "I think your ten dollars-worth of pawpsicles can wait."

"I make two-hundred bucks a day, Fluff," he said. 'Fluff', not 'Carrots', well, that was a new one. "365 days a year, for the past five years, and time is money so hop along."

"Please, just look at the picture," Judy said. She held up the clipboard and tapped it with her trusty carrot pen. "You sold Mr. Otterton that pawpsicle. Do you know him?"

Nick smiled and leaned on the stroller. "I know everyone," he said, "And I also know that there's a toy store somewhere missing its stuffed animal." That was too low. The last time she'd heard a jab about plush animals was when he'd teased her about the ones on her bed was when she'd been 14.

"Fine," she said. "I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." She was lucky that the stroller wheels were about the same size as some car tires. She was in and out of her buggy in seconds, and by the time Nick had processed what she'd done, the boot was already secured to the stroller. It wouldn't necessarily keep him from moving, seeing as a stroller is significantly lighter than a mid-sized car, but it would certainly make him look silly.

"Did you just boot my stroller?" he asked, looking back and forth between Judy and the yellow boot. Judy ignored him.

"Nicholas Wilde, you are under arrest," she said.

"For what, hurting your feelings?" He'd apparently recovered from the booted stroller.

"Felony tax evasion," she replied. "After all, you did say 200 bucks a day, 365 days a year, for the past five years, which comes out at $365,200 I think. I mean, I know I'm just the daughter of a carrot farmer, but we are good at multiplying, comes with the business you know." Nick knew. Being the go-to babysitter also meant helping at the roadside stand, as Nick had learned early on.

Nick sighed and shook his head before saying, "Well, it's my word against yours."

"Actually," Judy held out her pen and hit the 'play' button.

 **"200 bucks a day, Fluff,"** it said before she hit the stop button.

"It's your word against you. And if you want this pen, you're going to help me find Mr. Otterton." Judy looked up to catch Nick's expression and nearly doubled over with laughter. "You should see the look on your face," she giggled. The last time she'd seen that expression was when Adam decided that Nick's college homework –due the next day, of course- was the perfect material for paper airplanes, before flushing the entire assignment down the toilet. The funniest part right now, she thought, was that Nick had known about the pen beforehand –she'd had it for the past 12 years- and hadn't expected her to use it.

The stroller began to laugh, drawing Judy's attention. Slowly, the top lifted the reveal the fennec fox from the other day. "She hustled you," he said between laughs, "She hustled you good!" He climbed up the side of the stroller and stood on the handle, looking at Nick. "You're a cop now Nick. You're going to need one of these." He pulled out one of the false badges that usually comes with a police costume and stuck it on Nick's shirt. With that, he hopped down and walked off, still laughing. "Have fun working with the fuzz," he called back.

Nick scowled after him for a moment before turning back to Judy. "Fine," he said. "I don't know where he is, I only saw where he went."

"Great," Judy said, hopping into the buggy. "Let's go."

"I don't know," Nick said. He leaned on the stroller. "It's not exactly a place for a little bunny like you, Carrots."

"Don't call me 'Carrots. Get in the car."

"Alright," Nick said, abandoning the stroller and sliding in next to her. "You're the boss."


	12. Muffins

**A/N:** Extended scene

* * *

"This is great," Judy said, stepping out of the foyer of Mystic Springs Oasis and onto the small side street. She glanced over her notes yet again, hardly daring to believe how much information she'd gotten, especially about the car. With the info Yax had provided she should be able to locate the vehicle even if the license plates had been changed.

"Well, that was fun," Nick drawled out behind her. She didn't have to look to know the expression on his face was a distinct 'can I please be done now' look. Sure enough, he continued, "Now that you've got that info, and any moron can run a plate, I'd say that I've finished my part of the bargain. So may I please have the pen?"

Judy stopped in her tracks. As Clawhauser had pointed out, she wasn't in the system yet, which meant she couldn't run a plate. "Shoot," she said. "I'll be Clawhauser can't run the plate for me either." She turned toward Nick and saw him frowning at her with his paw outstretched. He was waiting for the pen. She almost handed it over, but something he'd said caught her attention. "What was that you said about any one being able to run a plate?"

Nick groaned. "Come on, Judy. You can't keep me on the hook forever." He was starting to look less angry and more hurt. Judy was almost surprised that, despite how much everything else had changed, she could still read his visual ticks like an open book. It probably helped that she'd learned to see the hard-to-spot stuff years before. Nick's ears were drooping, not pressed back. His tail dragged through the grime of the sidewalk; and no matter how disarming his smile, his eyes were still glassy to the point that Judy could see her reflection if she looked hard enough.

"Not forever," she said, trying to keep her voice gentle, "Just long enough to find out where Mr. Otterton went. It'll be fun, like when you helped me find Jan and her littermates."

Nick sighed, rubbing a paw across his muzzle." Except that I already knew where they were before you decided you needed to find them. Mr. Otterton is a missing mammal whom I am acquainted with but not close to, and there's a lot more at stake than your stuffed rabbit."

Judy glared at him. "I wasn't trained then, I am now," she said. She turned and hopped into the buggy. Nick followed suit.

"I know that," he said, "but did you ever think of what might happen if the perp is just the slightest bit faster than you?"

"There aren't many things that are faster than a bunny."

"But there are mammals faster than a bunny; specifically they may be faster than you. What'll you do if you try busting one of them?"

"I'll follow my training and call for backup. Why do you care?" She turned to glance at Nick while they waited at a red light. For just a moment she thought she glimpsed something of the original Nick she'd known back in Bunny Burrow, but then the mask slid back into place and he was frowning at the traffic.

"Maybe you're right," he said, "Why do I care?"

"Nick." She paused, something was off now, and while she didn't like the level he'd sunk to, she still needed to apologize. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"It's fine," Nick brushed the comment off. It rather obviously wasn't fine, but Judy doubted that she'd be able to get Nick to admit to it. He was acting the same way he did when he got too hungry. Judy checked the small clock on the buggy's dash.

"Nick," she said. "When was the last time you ate?"

"This morning," Nick said, not turning to her, "Why?"

"No reason." She drove for two more blocks before she found what she was looking for. "Wait here," she said. She darted into a parking space, turned off the buggy, and hopped out. "I'll be right back." She was gone before Nick could argue. Two minutes into waiting for her order she realized she had forgotten to make sure she had her pen, only to find it tucked safely into her belt. She wondered if Nick would have taken the chance to run. It didn't take long for her order to finish and then she was back out to the buggy. Nick was still waiting inside. He looked at her quizzically.

"Should I be worried?" he asked when she tossed a small paper bag on his lap.

"Just eat it," Judy said, "I don't want to deal with a cynical Nick who's also hungry."

"What is it?" He hadn't even opened the bag yet, instead looking at her for the answer.

"Blueberry muffin," Judy replied. She pulled her own carrot scone out the second bag and started eating. "My treat."

"Thank you." At least he hadn't forgotten all of his manners. He opened the bag and pulled out the muffin to start eating. "How'd you know that was there?" he asked between bites.

"Mom gave me the address before I moved here," Judy said. "The bakery uses fruits and veggies from the Hopps' farm, so mom knows the owner.

"I'll have to visit it again sometime," Nick said. He had slowed down to savor the muffin rather than devouring it. "Hopps' blueberries are the best."

"I'm glad you still think so," Judy said. "Now that you've been fed, care to tell me if I take a right or a left at the tee up ahead?"


	13. Three-Humped Camel

**A/N:** Changed scene

* * *

"Flash is the fastest guy in there," Nick said as they walked up to the DMV.

"That's great," Judy said, "Because we really need to hurry. Wait." The doors had opened and she now had a clear view of all the animals behind the desks. "They're all sloths!"

"Are you saying that just because he's a sloth he can't be fast?" Nick said. Judy hated when he played with her beliefs like that.

"No," she admitted grudgingly. They were approaching a desk with a large sign saying 'next window' in large red letters.

"Flash, Flash, Hundred-yard-dash," Nick said, "It's good to see you, buddy." Apparently even the sloths weren't immune to Nick's fascination with nicknames. The sloth –Flash- looked up at them slowly.

"It's nice… to see you… to," he said.

"Flash, I'd like you to meet my friend, Pumpkin." An elbow to the ribs –okay, fine, the hip, she couldn't reach his ribs with her elbow- was due.

"We don't even sell pumpkins, Nickolas," she said. She turned to the sloth. "Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD."

"What…" the sloth started, "Can I… do…"

"Well, I was hoping you could-"

"For you…"

"Well, I was hoping you could run a-"

"Today?"

Judy paused a moment to make sure he had finished speaking. "Well, I was hoping you could run a plate for us." She could practically feel Nick watching her annoyance grow.

"Sure," Flash said. "What's the… plate…"

"29-T-"

"Number?"

"29-THD-03," Judy said. Flash slowly looked down at his tablet and began typing.

"2… 9… T…"

"HD-03." Judy's patience was beginning to run out.

"H…"

"D-03."

"D…"

"03!"

"0…"

"3!"

"Hey, Flash, want to hear a joke?" Nick said.

"No!" She was too late; Nick had already caught Flash's attention.

"Sure," he said.

"What do you call a three-humped camel?" Nick asked. He was smirking. It was not an expression Judy was used to.

"I don't know… What do you call a…

"Three-humped camel!" Judy muttered, trying to hurry the joke along.

"Three-humped camel?" Flash finished.

Nick paused a moment before bursting out, "Pregnant!" He began to laugh. Flash seemed unfazed for a moment, but then he began to smile and laugh in slow motion.

"Okay," Judy said, "Very funny, can we please just focus-"

"Hey… Pricilla?" Flash didn't even seem to have heard her. The sloth at the next desk over slowly leaned back in her chair.

"Yes… Flash?" she said.

"What… do… you call… a…"

"A three-humped camel," Judy broke in, "Pregnant! Okay we got it."

"Three… humped…"

"Urg!" Judy slammed her head into the desk. They were going to be stuck here for a while, it seemed. "You!" She turned to Nick and grabbed his tie. He held his hands up in surrender.

"I only told the joke, Jude," he said. "I didn't suggest he tell his coworkers, and I didn't expect him to. He didn't do it when I came through last time."

"When was that," Judy asked, still glaring.

"Last month," he said. "Fin had to renew his license, and the business runs smoother when I've got the van for transport, so I came with to ease the boredom."

"I see," Judy said through clenched teeth. She let go of the tie and faced the desk again, wondering how long it would be before Flash got back to the task at hand.

"Anyway," Nick said, leaning against the desk again, "Since we have the time…" Another elbow to the hip –it was his fault they had the extra time, after all- this time harder. "Ow. As I was saying, how's everyone back in Bunny Burrow?"

"Since you asked, Tizzy's boyfriend proposed, they got married, and her oldest litter will be five next month. Zoey's top of her class and head of the cheerleading team. Luke, Carlos, Austin, Perry, and Roger are all studying aviation and mechanics together, and they play to start some kind of business fixing planes once they get out of college. Sunny's band released their first sell-out album last fall. Pearl's group opened up a small jewelry shop in town. And Benny's actually working toward being a detective like he always talked about. All of which you would know if you had ever bothered to actually send us your address like you promised!" To say it was a sore subject was an understatement.

"Yeesh, Carrots, sorry," Nick said. "I didn't know you cared so much."

Judy huffed at this and continued listing off siblings and what they were doing. She was sure some of the patrons in the DMV were listening in, but at this point she didn't care. It felt like forever before Flash finally finished making his rounds with the joke and returned to them. Judy had to remind him of the final number on the plate but he managed to send it through without any more distractions. He printed off the registration listing and Judy practically tore the paper out of his hand in her haste.

"It's registered to a limo service in… Tundra Town!" she shouted. "Thank you!" She was off before Flash could respond. Nick followed at a more reasonable pace.

"Thanks, buddy," he said, "I love you, I owe you."

"Nick hurry," Judy called from the doors. "We've got to beat the rush-hour traffic." The doors opened. "It's night!"


	14. Limo

**A/N:** Changed scene

* * *

The lock on the chain clattered a bit when she tugged on it, but the mechanism inside didn't budge.  
"Huh, closed already," Nick stated. Judy glared at him, Of course the service was closed, it was almost midnight. He leveled his own glare at her and added, "And I'll bet you don't have a warrant."  
"Well maybe if somebody had kept his mouth shut I wouldn't be in this mess, would I?" she spat out.  
"Now, now, Carrots –"  
"Don't call me Carrots!"  
"As I was saying… I only told the joke. I know it was hilarious, but that doesn't mean you get to take your anger out on me."  
Judy shoved the lock into the chain-link fence and turned to stick her pen into Nick's chest. "We both know that you learned that joke from Jon when he was four, and everyone agreed it was the lamest joke they'd ever heard. Also, I refuse to believe that you weren't purposefully wasting time. I've seen you work fast before and believe me, that wasn't fast at all. So you will zip it now or so help me I will… I will…" She threw her paws up in exasperation, not sure what else to say.  
"Careful there, Fluff," Nick said, "Wouldn't want you to have a heart attack." Judy resisted the urge to slap him. "Now," he put his paws together and gestured at her, "Since the trail leads here and you're sans warrant, I guess we bid farewell?" He was looking pointedly at the pen.  
"Fine," Judy huffed, "here's your pen." She waited for him to reach for it before flicking her wrist to send it flying over the fence. Nick glared at her.  
"First off, you still throw like a bunny," he said. He grabbed the fence and started climbing. "Second, you're a much sorer looser than you used to be. Lucky for me, I don't need a warrant. So sorry I couldn't help more."  
The surprise on his face when he dropped down only to find her inside the compound was more than worth the freezing cold on her fingers from digging through the snow. "I happened to remember that you don't need a warrant if you have probable cause," she said, waving the pen in front of his face. "And I'm pretty sure I saw a shifty lowlife climbing over the fence, so you're helping plenty." She knew it was mean to call him that, but she was angry and she wasn't about to take it lying down. Nick didn't have to say anything, the look on his face was a very clear I am so done right now. Judy ignored his glare and hopped off toward the cars.  
The third limo she checked had a plate matching the one from Yax. "This is the one," she whispered to Nick, who, after sulking by the fence, had decided to follow her. The handle on the driver's door was a bit high for her, but she managed to pull it open. Looking up she saw that Nick had done the same on the passenger side. Cautiously, she climbed into the car. Almost immediately she spotted something on the floor. "Polar bear fur," she whispered. She picked up the fur with her tweezers and studied it in the light from her phone. Nick just nodded and started opening the compartments on the front of the car.  
She had just placed the fur in the plastic baggy when Nick opened the glove compartment and gasped. "What?" she asked, nose twitching.  
"The Velvety Pipes of Jerry Vole," Nick said. Judy frowned. "But on CDs," he continued, picking up the cases for a moment before tossing them pack into the glove compartment. "Who still uses CDs?" Judy shook her head and returned to her search.  
"Carrots," Nick said a few moments later, "You're going to want to see this."  
"What is it?" Judy asked. She climbed onto the seat next to Nick to look through the window to the back, only to realize that she was still a few inches too short. Nick noticed and picked her up by her collar. She wasn't sure if she was grateful or if she wanted to slap him. "If your otter was here, he had a very bad day."  
"Those are claw marks," Judy whispered. She shuddered, taking in the destruction of the back of the vehicle. Using Nick's grip as leverage, she slipped through the window, Nick following close behind. A set of glasses on one of the doors was knocked into disarray. But the light of her phone didn't penetrate much farther. "What do you think happened?"  
Nick didn't respond. He was looking at the glasses and carefully picked one up and turned it over. A fancy 'B' was engraved on the front. "Wait a minute," Nick said. "Polar bear fur, Rat Pack music, fancy cup." His ears flattened to his skull as he spoke and he gave Judy a scared look she hadn't see since the time Isaac fell from the two-story balcony. "I know whose car this is! We've got to go!"  
"What?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I'm not leaving. This is a crime scene."  
"Yeah, well this car belongs to Mr. Big. One of the most feared crime bosses in Tundra Town, and he does not like me. So we've got to go if you don't want this to be an even bigger crime scene." He was groping for the door handle, but the door came open before he could find it. Gasping, he spun around, paw clutching his chest. "Ramon," he said, plastering a smile on his face. "And is that Kevin? Long time, no see. And speaking of no see, how about you forget you saw me? For old time's sake?" The polar bears standing outside the car apparently didn't like the idea. They grabbed Nick and Judy before either could move. "That's a no," was all Nick managed to saw before they were being hauled off to another car.


	15. Mr Big

**A/N:** Slightly changed scene. I mostly added internal thoughts and reactions with a little bit of an extension at the end.

* * *

Judy didn't think she'd ever been in such a cold house before. One of the doors they'd passed through had been partially iced over. The room they had just entered appeared to be a study, but even the fancy fireplace set into the far wall had icicles hanging from the mantle. She shivered in her thin shirt. The material was perfect for her usual patrol through Sahara Square, but was far too thin for the frigid temperatures of Tundra Town. She risked a peak at Nick and saw that his fur was standing on end. It had to be even worse for him, she figured. Sure, his fur was thicker than her, but he was also wearing a short sleeved shirt and had probably she his winter coat at least a month earlier.

A door opened to their right and a large polar bear stepped through. "Is that Mr. Big?" Judy asked Nick as quietly as she could.

"No," he whispered back. His ears were down, and Judy suspected that his fur would have been on end even if the study was in the middle of Savana Central.

A second, bigger polar bear stepped through the doorway and came to stand next to the first. "Is that Mr. Big?"

"No."

The third polar bear to enter the room was so tall he had to duck to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe. "That's got to be Mr. Big," Judy whispered.

"No!" Nick sounded desperate now. "Stop talking! Stop talking!"

The polar bear sat down in the chair behind the desk and placed his folded hands on the front of the desk. He carefully opened them to reveal a tiny pleather chair. His paw nearly eclipsed the chair as he turned it around with a claw. A tiny arctic shrew sat in the chair, his bushy eyebrows making his eyes nearly invisible. Nick immediately stepped forward.

"Mr. Big," he said, "This is all a simple-"

Mr. Big cut him off with a disinterested noise and held out his paw. The tiny diamond ring on his finger looked enormous on him.

"Right," Nick muttered. He hurried to the desk and placed a tentative kiss on the ring before stepping back to his original place. "Mr. Big, this is all a simple misunderstanding," he said.

"I trusted you Nicky," Mr. Big said. Judy noticed that Nick flinched a bit at the nickname, but didn't protest. "Ever since I found you on the streets I treated you like family. Grandmama even made you a cannoli." Nick's ears were drooping. "And how did you repay my generosity? With a rug made from the butt of a skunk. A skunk butt rug. You disrespected me, Nicky. You disrespected Grandmama, whom I buried in that rug. I told you never to show your face here again and yet here you are, unannounced on the day my daughter is to be married."

"Well, technically we were brought here against our will," Nick tried. The shrew didn't look impressed. "Point is, I didn't know it was your car. And I most certainly didn't know it was your daughter's wedding."

"Whether you knew or not," Mr. Big said, "You still showed up with this… What are you, Hun? What's with the costume?"

Judy stepped forward. "Actually I'm a-"

"Mime!" Nick broke in. "She is a mime! This mime cannot speak. You can't speak if you're a mime!" He was giving her a pointed look that clearly said _shut up_. Judy wasn't about to listen to him. His dishonesty didn't seem to have won him any favors from Mr. Big.

"I'm Officer Judy Hopps, of the ZPD," she said confidently. "I'm tracking Mr. Otterton and my evidence puts him in your car." Her voice was rising as she spoke, but at this point she no longer cared. "You can intimidate my all you want but I will find out what happened to Mr. Otterton if it's the last thing I do." Mr. Big didn't look phased.

"Then I have only one request," he said. "Say hello to Grandmama. Ice 'em!"

The polar bears behind Nick and Judy grabbed them by their collars and hauled them off the floor. "No no no no!" Nick yelled, scrabbling at the desk. "I didn't see anything! I'm not saying anything!" he cried.

"And now you never will," Mr. Big replied. Judy stared down at the trap door the polar bears had just opened and the icy water below. She could probably survive for a minute or two before her body began to shut down from the cold, but she doubted that Mr. Big would leave the door open for her to climb out.

"Oh Daddy, it's time for our dance," a shrill voice cried from the far edge of the desk. Judy looked up a saw a fourth, smaller polar bear had entered the room and a tiny shrew in a pristine wedding gown was hurrying over to Mr. Big. The shrew looked vaguely familiar, but Judy couldn't quite put her paw on why. The shrew looked up just then and exclaimed, "What did we say? No icing anyone at my wedding!"

"I'm sorry baby," Mr. Big said, "I have to. Daddy has to." He nodded at the polar bears to start lowering Nick and Judy toward the water.

"Wait!" the shrew in the wedding dress cried. "That's the bunny that saved my life yesterday. From that giant donut, remember?" The polar bears had stopped and Judy allowed herself to feel the slightest bit of hope. She couldn't see Nick, but she could feel his eyes on her as if to ask _what giant donut?_

"This bunny?" Mr. Big asked his daughter.

"Yeah," his daughter said. She turned to Judy. "Hi."

"Hi." Judy managed a small wave. "I love your dress."

"Aw… Thank you!"

Mr. Big was silent for a moment before motioning to the polar bears. "Put 'em down." The trap door was slid back over the opening in the floor and Nick and Judy were dropped onto the now solid ground. "You have done me a great favor," Mr. Big said to Judy. "I will help you find Otterton. I will take your kindness and pay it forward." He held his arms open and Judy leaned forward to receive the kisses on her cheeks. "Just one question," Mr. Big added, "How'd you manage to get caught up with him?" He gestured toward Nick.

"It's a long story, sir," Judy said, sighing.

"Well then," Mr. Big said, "You'll have to tell me over dinner, if that's alright with FrouFrou." He turned to his daughter.

"Of course," FrouFrou cried. She smiled brightly. "I'd love for you see the wedding party."

"Thank you so much," Judy said. Mr. Big nodded, before motioning for the giant polar bear to pick him up. FrouFrou walked to the edge of the desk nearest Judy, and Judy held out her paws. FrouFrou walked on carefully, clutching Judy's fingers.

"Just follow Daddy," she said. "You too, Nicky." Judy heard Nick sigh behind her as she hurried after the giant polar bear, but he followed anyway. This was certainly going to be interesting.


	16. Wedding Party

**A/N:** Changed scene

* * *

"And she really got it all on tape?" FrouFrou's fork was halfway to her mouth, forgotten in the thrill of Judy's story.

"Yep," Judy said. Nick could see that she was fighting the urge to laugh as she looked around and saw that the majority of the wedding party was listening on the edge of their seats. "Crystal said it was the first time she'd seen a first-time babysitter manage to knock out three dozen little bunnies just by reading to them. She even told me that she never expected to be jealous of a fox, but she couldn't help wishing she had Nick's ability to get us to settle down."

"I can understand," Mr. Big said. "Little bunnies are a handful, I've seen it firsthand." He waved his fork in Nick direction and sighed. "Are you sure this is the same fox?"

"Unfortunately he is one and the same," Judy said. She turned toward Nick with a false pout etched on her face. If not for the seriousness of the situation, Nick probably would have laughed. Then again, if not for the seriousness of the situation, Nick probably would have split the moment Judy and Mr. Big started talking. He knew he didn't need to worry about Mr. Big harming Judy. FrouFrou had taken to the bunny immediately; and anyone FrouFrou liked was guaranteed Mr. Big's backing.

The servers were making their second round with the wedding cake by the time Mr. Big brought up Otterton. "Otterton's my florist," he told Judy. "He said he had something important to discuss, that's why I sent the car." He leaned back in his chair. "But he never arrived."

"Because he was attacked," Judy added, nodding her head.

"No," Mr. Big said. That was enough to make Nick listen closer. " _He_ attacked. He went crazy, tore up the car, scared my driver half to death, and then disappeared into the night."

"I don't understand," Judy said. Her teeth were worrying at her bottom lip. "He's a sweet little otter."

"My child," Mr. Big said –that was a very good sign that Judy was quickly becoming a favorite- "We may be evolved, but we _are_ still animals. We can dismiss that idea as much as we like, but it is a truth we will all eventually have to face." He shook his head and fell silent for a moment. "If you want to know more about Otterton, I would suggest talking to my driver. His name is Manches and he lives in the Rainforest district."

"Thank you, Mr. Big," Judy said.

"No, thank you, my child. Without you, I would not be celebrating my daughter's wedding today. I am still in your debt." Mr. Big motioned one of the polar bears closer and whispered something into his ear. Ramon here will drive you as far as he can, since your vehicle is still at that lot."

"Thank you," Judy said again. Mr. Big nodded and waved to Ramon, who turned and headed for the door. Judy said her goodbyes and hurried after him. Nick was about to follower her when Mr. Big called him back.

"One moment, Nicky," he said, "I'd like a word with you." Nick just hoped he wasn't about to get iced now that the wedding party was over. He followed Mr. Big and Koslov into a small adjoining room. "Why are you here, Nicky?" Mr. Big asked. Nick wasn't sure what he meant. "Why didn't you run when it became apparent Judy wasn't in danger?" Mr. Big elaborated.

Nick shuffled his feet for a moment before answering. "I promised myself that I'd keep an eye on her. I don't know what I can do to keep her safe, but I'm pretty sure her parents would kill me if they found out their daughter had been in danger and I'd done nothing to help."

"Then why didn't you want her to see you?" Mr. Big's question caught Nick by surprise.

"I –" he paused, not quite sure how to answer. "I know I'm not the same fox she knew back in Bunny Burrow. I guess I didn't want her to know how much I've changed. I'd rather have her remember the old me."

Mr. Big nodded. "At least you have the guts to recognize why you were avoiding her," he said. "Continue keeping an eye on her, Nicky. If that bunny gets hurt, her parents aren't the only ones you'll have to worry about now."

"Yes sir," Nick said.

"Now, off with you." Mr. Big shooed him from the room. "The two of you need to hurry if you're going to find Otterton any time soon." Nick left as fast as was polite, hurrying after Judy and turning Mr. Big's words over in his head. He'd been right about one thing; the wedding party had turned out to be very interesting indeed.


	17. The Chase

**A/N:** Changed scene  
Sorry for not posting last night ^^; I'll do my best to keep on the daily schedule.

* * *

The clock in the car had read 2:43 when Ramon dropped them off at a small footpath in the middle of the Rainforest district. If Nick had to guess, he'd say that they'd been walking for around 20 minutes. Part of him wanted to check his phone for the time, but another part of him argued that he'd simply end up missing his bed once he saw it. Judy was walking a short distance ahead of him, carefully peering at each sign they passed, looking for the crossing Ramon had mentioned. Nick examined each sign as well, knowing he had a better chance of spotting the crossing than she did. There were some instances where night vision was extremely useful.

"I think this is it," Judy said. She was standing next to a rope bridge, looking up at the sign next to it. It was getting more difficult to read with the rain coming down, but the words 'Vine' and 'Tujunga' stood out against the brown background.

"Yep," Nick agreed, "Unless Ramon gave us faulty directions, which I really wouldn't put past him at this point." Judy's glare told him to _shut up_.

They crossed the bridge carefully, holding the rope railings whenever they came across a board particularly soaked with rain. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the opposite side where a second dirt –or in this case mud- path branched off toward several different homes. According to Ramon, Mr. Manches lived in the second house to the left, with the wagon flower-pot on the step. They found the house without much difficulty. Judy had to push a few vines out of the way of the doorbell, but the front of the house looked relatively well-kept.

"Mr. Manches?" Judy called. She must have heard something on the other side of the door. "We're here to ask you about what happened to Mr. Otterton?" Now Nick could hear the mammal on the other side of the door, sliding the lock back and twisting the knob. A moment later the door began to open.

"You should be asking what happened to me!" the black jaguar pulled the door open as far as it would go with the chair still in place. His left eye was open wide, moving quickly as if to compensate for the right eye, which was sealed shut by three deep claw marks scabbing over.

"A tiny little otter did that?" Even Nick had to admit that there was something terrifying about the idea of something so small causing so much damage. He didn't want to think about what might happen to Judy when she finally found him.

"He was a savage," Mr. Manches said, his voice shaking. "He was down on all fours, tearing at the seats. Then, he disappeared from view, only to come flying at me through the window. I nearly crashed into another car before I went off road. He chased me from the car, climbed to the roof, and then disappeared."

"Was he acting strange before that?" Judy prodded.

"Not particularly," Mr. Manches said. "He kept mumbling about the Nighthowlers. The Nighthowlers!" Nick shared a look with Judy before stepping forward.

"So you know about the Nighthowlers?" he said. "That's good because… the Nighthowlers are exactly what we are here to talk about." He glanced at Judy for her confirmation and received a short nod. Mr. Manches kept looking back and forth between the two of them.

"So," Judy said, "Why don't you less us in and tell us what you know, and we'll tell you what we know?" Mr. Manches hesitated for only a moment before nodding and closing the door to undo the chair. Nick grinned at Judy. This was working. His happiness what cut off at the sound of breaking glass and Mr. Manches shouting fearfully. Nick and Judy exchanged another glance. "Mr. Manches?" Judy said. She pushed the door open.

Mr. Manches was writing on the floor next to the stairs, clawing at the floor and at his eye. He growled low in his throat and turned toward them. Judging by the look in his eyes, Nick guess that they were no longer safe. "Run!" Judy squeaked. She grabbed him by the paw and took off out the door. Nick didn't protest.

"What's his problem? Nick shouted as they hurried across the bridge.

"I don't know," Judy said. Mr. Manches was behind them now, barreling through vines and branches as if they didn't exist. He gave a leap from the edge of the landing onto the bridge. The bridge bucked and swayed under the added weight. Nick felt the wave coming before he saw it, and braced himself, it didn't do much good. He managed to grab Judy's paw as their feet left the bridge, lunging to the side and off onto a large branch below them. They scrambled to their feet as fast as they could and took off running, Mr. Manches just seconds behind them. Judy spotted the hollow log first, tugging Nick with her as she dove into it headfirst.

"Head down," she commanded. Nick did as he was told and pulled his head down as far as he could while crawling along on his belly, and not a moment too soon as Mr. Manches' paw burst through the log above him and swiped at the air just inches above his head. He dove forward, and heard Mr. Manches crashing through the log behind him. The jaguar stuck fast in the narrow log, struggling to follow them. Nick and Judy didn't stop moving, just hurried to the end of the log and took off running again. "Head for the sky tram," Judy yelled. Nick nodded, to out of breath to say anything. He heard the sound of splintering wood and knew that Mr. Manches was free again.

"Hurry," he said, pushing through the leaves and onto the sky tram dock. Judy was right behind him with Mr. Manches hot on her heels. He chanced a glance back and saw Judy leap to the light pole to avoid another swing of Mr. Manches' paw before pushing off and kicking the jaguar square in the face. She landed hard and scrabbled for purchase on the wet wood. It did her no good and within second she was hanging by her paws on the edge of the platform. Nick's heart leapt into him mouth. "Carrots!" he yelled.

"Just go on without me," Judy shouted back.

A growl distracted Nick from making any reply. Mr. Manches was back on his feet, stalking toward Nick with a killer look in his eye. "Hey, buddy," Nick stuttered, "One predator to another.-"

Mr. Manches leapt for him, paw stopping just before he could knock Nick off the edge of the dock. Nick looked up. Judy was back on the platform, a look somewhere between terror and relief sketched on her face as she made sure the handcuff she'd placed around Mr. Manches' ankle was secure. Nick stepped to the side and started to shuffle past Mr. Manches. "I'm going to give you some space," he said, "You seem a bit tense!" The last word became a shout as Mr. Manches lunged at him again. Nick jumped out of the way, slipped on the wet wood, and fell into Judy. The weight of his fall pushed both of them over the edge of the dock. Nick squeezed his eyes shut, only daring to open them when he felt Judy's paw in his and realized that she'd managed to grab something. "Don't let go!" he yelled as the vine reached the top of its arc and started back down.

"I'm going to let go!" was Judy's response.

"What!" Nick was going to give her a tongue lashing after this, assuming they lived long enough. She was taking far too many risks. "Don't let go!" he yelled again. It was too late. Judy let go of the vine and they went flying through the air only to land in a tangle of vines. Nick felt his chest, checking to be sure he hadn't passed out and or started hallucinating. "Carrots," he said, "You saved my life." Judy looked at him with a goofy grin.

"Well-" she started to say. The greenery was having none of it. The net of vines dropped several inches and then gave way entirely.

"Carrots!" Nick yelled on his way down. Their fall was broken by several large leaves and yet another tangle of vines which left them hanging head-down over a paved road. As luck would have it, several police cars pulled up around them. Nick felt Judy stiffen against him when a large water buffalo stepped out of one of the cars.

"Well, this should be good," the buffalo said.


	18. Badge

**A/N:** Changed scene

This one was a bit hard to write because of all the emotions going between the characters.

I know I skipped the muzzle story itself, but I felt like writing it all out here would just be repetitive since I'm writing this fic with the assumption that my readers have already seen the movie.

 **For some reason, I haven't been able to see the last five reviews posted. If you notice the same problem would you mind messaging me to let me know? I want to figure out if it's just me, or in general.**

* * *

Judy brushed the leaves out of her way, leading Chief Bogo and the officers up to the dock. "I originally thought this was just a missing mammal case," she said, "But now I think it's much more." She was nearly stumbling over her words in her haste to get them out. "I believe that Mr. Otterton and this jaguar, they… they went savage, sir." Chief Bogo stopped and looked at her.

"Savage?" he asked, as if he hadn't heard her correctly. "This isn't the Stone Age, Hopps, animals don't just go savage."

"I thought so to," Judy said. She placed a paw on the leaves blocking their view of the dock. "Until I saw this." She brushed the leaves aside. The dock was empty. The only clue that the terrifying chase had actually happened was the broken railing she and Nick had fallen through. "What!" Judy cried. "He was just here, I swear, he was right here!"

"The savage jaguar?" Chief Bogo asked. He didn't sound impressed.

"He chased us all the way here," Judy repeated. "He was going crazy."

"Or maybe any angry predator looks savage to you bunnies," Chief Bogo said. Judy's ears drooped. There was movement in the corner of her vision, and she saw Nick stepping forward between the officers.

"I'm not the only one who saw him," she blurted out. Chief Bogo looked faintly surprised. Judy motioned to Nick, trying to draw attention to him and beckon him forward at the same time. Chief Bogo gave him a disinterested once-over before turning back to her.

"You think I'm going to believe a fox?" he asked.

"He was a key witness-"

"Two days to find the otter," Chief Bogo interrupted. "That was the deal." He held out his hand. "Badge."

"But…" Judy felt her heart sink into her feet.

"Badge," Chief Bogo repeated. Judy tried to blink away tears as she reached for the clasp at the back of her badge.

"No," Nick said from the line of officers. Judy and Chief Bogo turned to him.

"What did you say, fox?" Chief Bogo asked.

Nick started forward, raising a paw to his mouth as he said, "I said 'no', she will not be giving you that badge." He stepped up next to Judy. "Listen, you gave her a joke-mobile and two days to solve a case you guys haven't cracked in two weeks?" He jabbed a pair of fingers at Chief Bogo, ears back and fur standing on end. Judy allowed herself to feel a little bit of hope. "It's no wonder she needed to get help from a fox. None of you guys were going to help her, were you?" Chief Bogo looked as if he was going to say something, but Nick cut him off before he could even start. "Point is, you gave her 48 hours to solve the case which means… we still have 10 hours left. So if you'll please excuse us, we have a very big lead to follow and a case to crack. Good day." With that, he turned on his heal and headed toward the sky tram car that had just arrived at the dock. Judy opened her mouth to follow up what Nick had said, realized there really was nothing for her to add, and hurried after him. Nick opened the door for her, gesturing her inside. "Officer Hopps." The car started moving almost as soon as the door was shut. Judy peered over the side for a moment, watching Chief Bogo watch them until he turned to leave.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Nick sighed. "Never let them see that they get to you," he said softly. He placed a paw between her ears and ruffled her fur.

"So things do still get to you?" That got a chuckle out of Nick. He smiled at her, and for the first time since she'd found him in the city, Judy felt that she was getting more than just a glimpse of the old Nick.

"Not much anymore," Nick said. He leaned against the railing and looked out at the fog. "Did I ever tell you why mom and I moved to Bunny Burrow?" he finally asked.

"I don't think so," Judy said. She'd wondered, of course, but her first –and last- attempt at finding out why had ended with Nick refusing to speak with her for the next few days. She hadn't pried after that.

"I got bullied a lot in school," Nick said. "It started back when I was eight, maybe nine, and all I wanted to do was join the junior ranger scouts." His voice was soft, barely audible even for her. And the quietness of the story, combined with the fog, made Judy feel –just for a moment- as if time had turned back and they were somewhere in Bunny Burrow telling each other stories. She suppressed a shudder as Nick told her about his 'initiation' and the muzzle. He must have noticed, because as he talked he reached out and pulled her closer, enveloping her in a one-armed hug. His tail curled around her legs, tail tapping her feet ever so lightly to remind her that he was alright and that the events of the story had happened years before. "I learned something that day," Nick said once he came to the end of the story.

"What was that?" Judy whispered, afraid to break the silence.

"That I was never going to let anyone see that they got to me ever again," Nick said. Judy stayed quiet at that. "I mean, you and your siblings managed to convince me otherwise for a while," he continued, "But in the end that's always what it comes down to."

"I'm glad you told me," Judy said. She turned and gave Nick a proper hug. He allowed the contact for only a few moments before breaking away and looking over the railing again.

"Wow," he said. "Would you look at that traffic. Let's go up to Chuck in traffic central." He put a paw to his ear and pretended to talk into a microphone. "Chuck, how are things looking on the jam cams?"

"Nick, I'm serious," Judy said, trying to bring him back to the original topic. Nick wasn't listening to her. He had a peculiar look on his face and was starting off into the distance.

"The jam cams," he whispered,

"Nick," Judy tried again. Nick turned and grabbed her shoulders.

"Listen!" he said. "There are traffic cameras," he pointed around the surrounding trees, "All around the canopy. Whatever happened to that jaguar-"

"The traffic cameras would have caught it!" Judy finished.

"Exactly," Nick said. He frowned. "However, if you didn't have access to the computer system before, I doubt Chief Buffalo Butt will let you in now."

"No," Judy said, "But I have a friend at city hall who might."


	19. Thank You

**A/N:** Added scene.

It's a bit short, but it felt like the right length when I was writing it.

* * *

"She won't be free until 10?" Judy screeched.

The secretary, a sweet hedgehog, was shrinking back behind her desk. "I'm terribly sorry, miss," she said, "But I'm afraid Mayor Lionheart and Assistant Mayor Bellwether are booked with meetings until then." She rubbed her paws together and bit her lip.

Nick's tail tapping against her leg pulled Judy back into the realm of reason. She blinked quickly, shaking her head as if to remind herself to be polite. "I see," she said. "I'm sorry I yelled. We'll be back around 10." She hopped down from the flight of stairs leading up to the desk and headed for the door with Nick following behind her.

"Come on, Carrots," he said once they were outside. "So we have to wait a few hours, it's not the end of the world. We'll still have a few hours after that. And who knows, even if we can't solve the case we may be able to find something to convince the chief not to fire you." Judy's ears drooped. Nick blanched and started speaking a mile a minute. "Not that I don't think we'll solve the case. In fact, I'm sure we'll solve it with time to spare. Please don't cry."

"I'm sorry," Judy said. She wiped the gathering tears away with her sleeve. "I guess I'm just a bit tired… and hungry."

"Well, there's not much I can do about being tired," Nick said, "But I think we can deal with the hungry part. We've got a few hours to kill after all." He smiled at her then. It wasn't quite the same as the smile she'd known in Bunny Burrow. That smile had been –mostly- untainted and full of hope. This smile was genuine, but his eyes were still sad. She hoped he would eventually tell her what had happened to turn him so cynical.

"Where were you thinking, Nick?" she asked.

"I know a place," he said, staying vague. "It serves food for both predators and prey, so we shouldn't get to many odd stares." His right ears tilted to the side, a sign Judy knew meant he was pondering something. "Although, now that I think about it, we're bound to draw at least a few eyes wherever we go."

"Already knew that," Judy said, "Let's head." Nick nodded and hurried ahead of her to the car.

He directed her to a small diner a few blocks down the road called 'Fresh Backed', with a tidy window display of cakes and cookies and another window giving a glimpse into the cheerily decorated interior. Judy was feeling tired enough that she could have slept on one of the benches along the wall, but Nick took her by the paw and guided her to a small table near the back, with seats sized just right for animals their height.

"Wait here," he said, helping her into her seat.

"But I…" Judy yawned loudly, interrupting herself. "I need to order something to eat."

"Don't worry about that, I'll get something for you."

"But I-"

"You payed for my lunch yesterday, I can cover breakfast for you today."

"Fine."

Judy let her head fall to the table as Nick walked away to the counter. She was drained of energy, in serious need of a nap, and she hurt all over from the chase and fall in the Rainforest district. He rubbed her leg and groaned at the feeling of the ache in the muscles. She had nearly fallen asleep when she heard a cup being set down between her ears.

"Up and at 'em, Hopps," Nick said. "I know the seats are comfy, but we're here to eat, not sleep."

Judy mumbled an agreement. She picked up the cup Nick had placed in front of her and took a sip. "Carrot cake!" she cried.

"Carrot and cake batter, actually," Nick said. "I was hoping that you still liked that flavor." Judy nodded and took another sip.

"Thank you, Nick," she said.

"Like I said," he said, "You covered my lunch yesterday, it's only fair that I pay for breakfast."

"That's not what I meant," Judy said. "I mean, yes, thank you for the shake. But also thank you for helping stand up to Chief Bogo. Thank you for helping me with this case. And thank you for not giving up on me." She stared at the table, fiddling with her thumbs. Soon she felt a familiar weight between her ears, and her nose was flooded with Nick's scent.

"You're welcome, Carrots," he said, gently ruffling the fur between her ears. Judy bit back a smile. It was beginning to look like this new Nick wasn't as changed as he would have led her to believe.


	20. Maintenance Road B

**A/N:** Changed Scene

One of my reviewers pointed out that I've been following the script of the movie a little too closely, and I'm happy to say that the next chapter deviated from that pretty well (I think) This chapter is also different, just not as much.

* * *

"Just give me a moment to log into the system," Bellwether said. Judy nodded, happy to finally be making headway. She watched Bellwether pulled up several tabs and started putting in the info she needed. The clank of the boiler was a bit distracting, but if she concentrated it wasn't too bad. She glanced at Nick to see how he was fairing in the cramped, humid room, only to find that Nick was no longer next to Bellwether's chair. She glanced around the room and found him poking at a pile of papers on top of one of the stacks of boxes.

"Nick!" she whispered. Between the noise of the boiler and the fact that bunnies and foxes have better hearing than most sheep she wasn't worried about Bellwether hearing her. She was worried about what would happen if Bellwether caught Nick snooping through her private files, though.

"What?" Nick whispered back. He moved from the pile of papers to a folder tossed on another box.

"You can't just go poking through private files," Judy said. She tried to bat his paws away from the next set of papers, but he simply reached over her head.

"Her name sounds familiar," he said, "And it's not because she'd the assistant mayor."

"You need to stop it!"

Nick ignored her and started poking at an open box.

"Where to?" Bellwether asked, looking up from her computer screen. Judy panicked for a split second before she saw that Nick was back at his spot behind Bellwether's chair.

"Rainforest district, Vine and Tujunga," she said.

Bellwether hit a button and the screen lit up with a map of the Rainforest district traffic cameras. "There we go, cameras for the whole city. You know, this is really cool. I mean, I never get to do anything this important."

Judy could hardly believe her ears. "But you're the assistant mayor of Zootopia."

"I'm more of a glorified secretary," Bellwether said, adjusting her glasses. "I think Mayor Lionheart just wanted the sheep vote. But he did give me that nice mug," she pointed at a mug with the words 'world's greatest dad' that had been poorly redone to say 'assistant mayor', "It's nice to feel appreciated."

 **"Smellwether!"** Mayor Lionheart's voice came through the speaker phone. Judy felt her opinion of the mayor sinking lower and lower as Bellwether told them the story of the nicknames and how it had ended. She almost wanted to say that she needed Bellwether to stay and help, if for no other reason than to keep her away from Lionheart for a while. But she really didn't need Bellwether to navigate the cameras, and Lionheart was yelling now.

"I should go," Bellwether said. "Let me know what you find. It was really nice working with-"

 **"While we're young, Smellwether!"** the phone screeched.

"Oh dear," was the last thing Bellwether said before she was out the door.

Nick turned to Judy and said, "Do you think that when she goes to sleep she counts herself?"

"Oh, stop it." Judy climbed into the seat Bellwether had just vacated. "Tujunga… Tujunga… Tujunga. Here we go!" she clicked on the camera and had it rewind several hours. It only took a few minutes for her to find the view of Mr. Manches chasing them onto the dock. She watched as she slipped off the edge, got back on, and then got knocked off again by Nick. Mr. Manches lunged as far as the cuffs would allow, watching them swing below the dock and over to the next of vines. Within moments, a black van pulled up at the grounded end of the dock. "Who are those guys?" Judy asked.

"Timberwolves," Nick said. The wolves netted Mr. Manches and started hauling him to the van. Nick huffed at them and added, "Bet you a nickel one of them is going to howl." Almost on cue, the wolves began to howl. "There they go, what is it with wolves and howling?"

"Nighthowlers!" Judy cried. "Remember what Mr. Manches said? I'll bet the wolves are the nighthowlers."

"So if we follow the wolves…"

"We find Mr. Manches." Judy began clicking through the cameras, following the van as quickly as she could until she lost it in the tunnel between the Rainforest district and Tundra Town. "Where'd they go?" she cried. She tugged her ear in frustration.

"You know," Nick said, "There's a side road in that tunnel. 'Maintenance road B' if I remember correctly. I think it would put them out right… here." He changed the camera and the van reappeared on screen.

"Well look at you, junior detective," Judy said. Nick gifted her a smile. "You know, I still think you'd make a pretty good cop."

"Oh, how dare you," Nick smirked at her. He took over shuffling through the cameras, following the van out of town.

"Well," Judy said, "I guess this means we have a destination for once. Let's go." She closed out the cameras and hurried to the door with Nick on her tail. She just hoped they wouldn't be too late.


	21. Job Well Done

**A/N:** Added scene

I recently took some time away from the fic to figure out if I wanted/needed to do the Cliffhaven scenes and where I wanted the fic to go from there. After thinking about it for a while, I realized the Cliffhaven scenes wouldn't change that much, so I ended up skipping them. Don't worry, I won't skip the press conference scene, though ^_^ It's the next one (unless I add one at the apartment, but it's not likely).

* * *

Judy watched as the last of the missing mammals was loaded into the back of the medical van. Most of them had been tranquilized and now they were so still Judy would have been afraid they were dead if she couldn't see and hear them breathing. She hoped they would be alright.

"Hopps," Chief Bogo said, coming up behind her.

"Yes, sir?" Judy said. She hoped he wasn't mad at her for the way she'd handled thing –at least this time her 'savage' mammal hadn't been stolen away by Timberwolves.

"You have 32 hours to rest and recharge," the Chief told her. "After that I want you back in the office to fill out the paperwork."

"I can do that right now," Judy said. She'd do just about anything to make sure her work stood out.

"No," Chief Bogo said, "You won't. I've worked cases like this before, and, according to that fox over there, you haven't slept for at least 24 hours. I want you rested up before you write that report. If your mind is foggy from sleep-deprivation you probably won't be able to remember all the details clearly."

"Surely you'll need that report right away?" Judy said.

"I will need it within 48 hours," Chief Bogo said, "But for the moment being my focus will be in assisting with the transportation and identification of the missing mammals, and it'll take a while for the doctors to assess the health of all 15 mammals. Give yourself a break, Hopps; I'm not going to fire you for getting some shut-eye."

"I-" she heard someone clearly their throat softly, and saw Nick shaking his head at her. "Thank you, sir," she finished. She risked a second glance at Nick and saw him smiling slightly. Not smirking, but actually smiling. It was a welcome change.

"You are dismissed; I'll take care of your times at the prescient." Chief Bogo said. He turned and walked away toward a group of officers preparing to accompany the medical vans.

"So," Nick said, strolling up to her. His smile had been replaced with the smirk again, but this time it was at least a bit softer than when she'd first seen him in the city. "What'd ol' buffalo-butt have to say?"

"He said I should get some sleep before writing the report," Judy said. She started walking to the meter-maid buggy, which somehow hadn't run out of gas yet –she was going to have to look at that fuel efficiency for future vehicles.

"I'd have to agree with him for once," Nick said. "We don't need a repeat of the 'Speech' incidence."

"I was 14."

"Exactly. You were old enough to realize that staying up for two nights straight before delivering your graded speech was a bad idea."

Judy glared at him but decided to focus on something else he'd said instead. "You said you'd agree with him 'for once', I didn't think you'd met before this morning."

Nick shrugged, facing away from her with his ears drooping slightly. "I was a… witness… for a case back about a year after I moved to the city," He said. "They took my testimony and I decided to stay anonymous. Apparently the chief didn't like that since he came to try and talk me into releasing my name for the records, at least…" he trailed off. Judy got the picture, though. She chuckled.

"No wonder he looked ready to blow a fuse when he saw you in the Rainforest district," she said. Nick's ears went back up and he gave her a small smile.

"He probably didn't plan on ever seeing me again unless I was the one in cuffs," he said. He hopped into the buggy ahead of her, leaning back and waiting for her to start the car.

"Nick," Judy said as she started driving, "You remember how I was giving you all that grief about not sending us your address?"

"Like it was yesterday," Nick said. Judy rolled her eyes at him.

"Your mom saved all the letters we wrote," she said. "She gave me a set of the ones she thought were the most important. I've got them back at my apartment. I know you're probably inching to get back to whatever you were doing, but I was wondering if we could stop by the apartment so I can give them to you?"

"Of course we can, Carrots," Nick said. He ruffled the fur between her ears. "I'm not going to promise to read them right away, though. Knowing Mom, it'll probably take a little while. I'll wait until after we've cleared up my part in this mess."

"Sounds good," Judy said. She smiled as she turned onto the main road. She hadn't managed to wrestle Nick's address out of him yet, but giving him the letters was the next best thing. Nick yawned loudly beside her. "I think we both need some shut-eye," she said. She shook herself to make sure she was staying awake to watch the road.

"You got it," Nick murmured. He already sounded half-asleep. Soon enough Judy felt the weight of his head leaning on her own as he drifted in and out of a doze. She'd let him sleep for a little while, after all, he'd already helped her a lot. And anyways, she was glad to have her friend back.


	22. Press Conference

**A/N:** Changed scene. . . I know it's still pretty similar to the movie scene, but the few changes have a pretty big impact on where this story is going.

For maximum feel effect, listen to 'Some of My Best Friends are Predators' from the Zootopia soundtrack while reading.

I'm really sorry for not updating soon. My BF and I went to visit his family for the weekend, and the plan was to have this chapter and the next one posted prior to leaving, but things happened and the chapter wasn't finished in time, so it didn't get posted. I wasn't online at all while visiting, so I wasn't able to update while there, either.

* * *

To the outside viewer, Judy was sure, it looked like the standard police press conference, at least until you looked to the side and noticed Judy and Nick. Judy was pacing back and forth muttering to herself, while Nick's ears and tail were working in tandem to twitch out some fast-paced tune. They were both nervous.

"Urg," Judy groaned, "What if I can't think of anything to say?" This caught Nick's attention, and apparently dealing with her nerves was better than dealing with his.

"Do you remember what I told you about public speaking when you were preparing for your presentation in high school?" he asked.

Judy sighed and said, "If you want to look smart answer their question with your own question and then answer that question."

"That's right." His ears were still twitching periodically, but he was smiling now. "You'll be fine. I promise."

"Thank you," Judy murmured. She fiddled with the paper she'd managed to grab earlier, before holding it out to Nick. "I was thinking, you've helped me so much, both with this case and with getting here, and I thought it might be nice to have a partner. You don't have to if you don't want to, but I thought you might consider it?"

"I'm honored, Carrots," Nick said, taking the paper. "I'll think about it."

"Here," Judy held out the carrot pen, "In case you need something to write with." Nick took the pen with a smile, and for the first time since she'd seen him in the city, Judy felt that his smile finally reached his eyes.

"Officer Hopps," Assistant Mayor Bellwether said from next to the podium, "It's time."

"Wish me luck," Judy whispered. She walked over to the podium and hopped onto the stool that had been placed behind it for her and Bellwether to use. Camera flashes went off as soon as she appeared from behind the podium, and it took her a moment to adjust to the bright lights. Several of the reporters were calling her name in an attempt to get her attention. She pointed to a rabbit standing near the front.

"What can you tell us about the case?"

Judy glanced at Nick and took a deep breath. "Well, was this a hard case? Yes, yes it was." Half-a-dozen of the reporters scribbled down notes. Judy pointed to the next reporter.

"What can you tell us about the animals who went savage?"

"All the formerly missing mammals are predators."

"What have the doctors had to say about this?" That was going to be a hard one to answer. She'd spent the morning listening to various doctors spewing out the same nonsense she'd heard from the badger in Cliffhaven.

"Well, the doctors aren't sure when the affected mammals will recover."

"Has Doctor Simmons told you what may have caused the animals to go savage?"

Judy glanced at Nick again, he was looking nervous. She was sure that pictures of the missing mammals were being shown behind her, but she didn't dare turn to see what they looked like. "Doctor Simmons has expressed concern that there may be a biological link between the missing mammals."

"Could you please expand upon that?"

"Doctor Simmons inferred that traditionally predatory mammals may be more likely to turn savage." Judy almost wished she could bite her tongue to convince the reporters to stop. It would certainly make for an interesting yet less terrifying headline. _New hero cop accidentally bites own tongue_. Except that it wouldn't work, she's tried it before and while her jaw is certainly strong enough to bite through her tongue, her teeth aren't sharp enough. She started looking through the reporters, trying to find one who might ask a question which she could use to introduce Nick's role. The reporters were clamoring so loudly she could barely understand what they were saying. Suddenly, Assistant Mayor Bellwether was next to her.

"That's all the time we have for now," Bellwether said, "No more questions." She quickly escorted Judy from the podium. Judy felt that she'd been cut short, but she was glad to be out of the spotlight. She walked over to Nick.

"That happened so fast," she said. "I wish Bellwether would have given me more time to talk about you and how you helped with the case." It took her a moment to realize that Nick wasn't smiling.

"I think you said plenty," he said. Judy stopped in her tracks. She hadn't heard that tone from Nick since she'd confronted her outside of the bakery.

"What did you want me to say?" she said, "they were asking about the doctors."

"But you told them what she said," Nick said. He was being to snarl. "You let them think that you actually believe all that."

"That's not what I said and you know it," Judy snapped.

"You implied that predators need to be kept in line. Is that what you really think, that we need to be shocked into submission?"

"Nick, I would never think that."

"Really?" Nick's snarl was nearly a growl now. "Then why are you carrying fox repellant today? Fox repellant that, by the way, you did not feel the need to wear until after you discovered that mammals had started 'going savage'."

"Nick!" Judy said. "My uncle called and he-"

"So you told you uncle what was going on, huh?" Nick wasn't listening to her anymore His ears were flat and his tail was twitching, and he had a haunted look in his eyes that Judy had never seen before. "Let me get this straight. Are you afraid of me? Are you afraid I might go savage? Or maybe eat you?" He snarled at her, raising his paws with claws extended, the same way he'd always done it whenever she convinced her to play along when she was playing the cop as a kid. Judy felt herself moving without thinking. They'd played that game so many times. Within seconds one paw was out and the other on her hip, feeling for the toy gun she'd always worn as a child and instead landing on the fox repellant she'd placed on her belt that morning after a video chat with Uncle Terrance. Nick looked from her paw to her face. Judy felt her heart break at the hurt in his eyes. "I knew it," he said. "The one person I thought still believed in me." He started to turn away.

"Nick!" Judy tried to call after him. She pulled her paw away from the repellant as if it had burned her. She'd never felt so stupid. Uncle Terrance had muzzle-timed her and noticed that she was leaving without the repellant. He'd argued with her about it until she put the darn thing on just to get him to shut up. She was supposed to throw it away as soon as she got to the station, but one thing led to another and she'd managed to forget she was wearing it. Nick hadn't.

He turned back toward her, tossing her a wadded ball of paper. "It's probably best that you don't have a predator for a partner." Judy unwrapped the paper to see it was the application she'd given him, covering the toy badge Finick had made him wear. She looked up to see him walking out the door. Reporters swarmed her as she chased after him, effectively blocking her path. She barely heard the questions about her safety, or even her own voice insisting that Nick had done nothing wrong. She could only focus on the fox she barely see through the blur of her tears, growing smaller and smaller as he walked away. When Chief Bogo picked her up to get her away from the reporters, she didn't fight him. Instead she kept staring at the door, hoping against hope that Nick would come back. He didn't. He disappeared from her view and was gone.


	23. The Carrot Pen

Added scene

For maximum feels effect, listen to 'Not a Real Cop' from the Zootopia soundtrack while reading.

* * *

 **In other news,** the reporter on the radio said, **Hero cop, Officer Judy Hopps, is returning to her hometown later this week. It is believed that Chief Bogo has temporarily transferred her to her local police station to keep her out of the public eye for a time after the peace-rally-turned-riot last Tuesday. It is unknown when Officer will return, but we all wish her a happy journey and a restful time back home. For those who wish to-**

Nick slammed the dial in so hard his paw hurt, but the reporter's voice was no longer echoing through his head, so it was almost worth the pain. Almost, if only the memory of Judy trying to call him back at the police station would stop replaying in his head. He'd gone over the memory so many times he was certain that, had it been a letter, it would have fallen apart by now. He closed his eyes and saw her in his mind's eye, crying as she called him back. He couldn't bear the sight.

He opened his eyes and groaned. No matter what he did, she haunted him. Sitting next to the radio, purposefully placed just out of reach, was the carrot pen, untouched since he'd set it there two months ago. He hadn't even bothered to erase that stupid confession she'd managed to get out of him. With a sigh, he reached for the pen, pausing next to the radio just like he had at least twice a day, every day, for the last two months. He almost pulled back, but the memory of what the reporter had said sent a shiver up his spine and he decided it was time.

The orange plastic was nearly smooth with ago and use. The pause button along the side rattled a bit, and Nick wouldn't have been surprised if the button was broken. His finger hovered over the button that would erase everything. He could hit it, and it would be as if nothing had ever happened. He hit the 'play all' button instead. Might as well hear that confession one last time for kicks.

 **Happy birthday, Carrots** his own voice came blaring from the tiny speaker. He nearly dropped the pen. **Look,** the recording continued, **I know you've got another dozen or so siblings turned 12 now too, and don't worry, I got something for each of time. But I saw this the other day and thought you could use when you're solving crimes. I've still got the instructions manual back at my place, but I'll give them to you the next time I see you. Anyway, I've also told your parents that they're to bring you and your siblings down to Crystals and Cream for ice cream and shakes. I'm paying. I hope you like the gift; you can throw it at me if you don't. I'll see you in a bit.** Nick bit his tongue to keep the tears back. He thought she'd erased that message years ago. The pen kept blaring at him.

 **Carrots, I know you're going to be mad when you find out I took your pen without asking, but I wanted to give you a message and a card didn't seem right. Happy fourteenth birthday, kid.** Nick put an arm over his eyes.

 **Judy, what did I tell you? You did it! I just heard that you got accepted for the criminal justice program next year, despite still being a junior! Mom said you hadn't heard yet, but that's good because I wanted to be the first to say congratulations. You did it. I knew you could. Keep smiling bright. Keep your chin up. And no matter what, never let anyone tell you that you can't be a real cop, because believe me, you have what it takes. I'll see you later, your friend, Nick.**

Nick's finger stopped hovering over the erase button. Part of him wanted to run back to the police station. He wanted to find Judy and tell her he'd been wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. But it was too late. Judy wasn't transferring to Bunny Burrow police department. Nick knew her well enough to know that. She was doing just what he'd said she should do and she was never coming back. If only he'd kept his mouth shut. The pen kept on talking to him, but he could barely hear it over the sound of the memories he'd tried to stuff into a box in the back of his mind. Hopps kids never had taken well to being put in boxes. He kept the pen on until he fell asleep, curled in front of the radio with a worn carrot pen in his hand, and tear tracks on his face.


End file.
